Jesse Cantor and the Prophecy of Betrayal
by the wingfoot
Summary: Jesse Cantor learns that he isn't crazy, and all the monsters he's seen his whole life were real. He finds himself thrown into a quest filled with violence and conspiracy. Most characters are OC's Lots of action throughout and romance later down the road
1. Chapter 1

The Half-blood tales: The Prophecy of Betrayal

Disclaimer: This story is set in an alt universe where there is no Percy or Annabeth. If this is a problem, I suggest reading a different story. All the characters are originals except the gods (duh) and other important people. Obviously I kept a few concepts, you'll notice similar weapons (some were just too good not to use), but I'd like to think that some of it is my own. Hopefully you'll like it, but if not feel free to let me know on the review boards. You can say nice things there too . I do not, nor have I ever, claim to own Rick Riordan's ideas. Enjoy.

Chapter 1

"Could you describe the man please?" The police officer asked

"The guy was huge," The boy said, "At least seven feet tall. Maybe three hundred pounds." The two officers sitting opposite of the boy looked at each other skeptically.

"Did you see his face?" The other officer asked.

"Yeah, I think he was mutated or something, his teeth were pretty messed up, and he only had one eye."

"Which eye was he missing?"

"I dunno, the eye I saw was smack in the middle of his forehead."

"Right…Mr. Cantor, you have described a Cyclops." The detective said, rising from his chair. "In case you are wondering, those do not exist."

"That's what I saw!" Jesse Cantor shouted at the police officer.

"But this isn't the first 'monster' that you've seen is it?" The other detective asked, opening a file in front of him and putting it in front of the teenager. "Read this to me, will you?"

Jesse looked at his feet, embarrassed, "I can't…I'm dyslexic"

If the officer felt sorry for the young man, he didn't show it. "According to this you saw a twenty foot lion at the age of twelve, a centaur when you were fourteen, and several skeletons marching down Time Square."

Jesse refused to respond.

"Mr. Cantor, I suggest that you go home, get some rest, and find a good psychiatrist." The detective said, "While you do that, we'll do our best to find that Cyclops of yours, right after our dinner party with Dracula."

Two hours later, Jesse was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, wondering if he was crazy. There was a soft knock on the door, "Come in Mom." Jesse called. Maria Cantor opened the door and stepped inside the tiny room and sat at the foot of her son's bed.

"Do you want to tell me what you saw this time?" She asked quietly. Jesse couldn't help but smile slightly, he knew for a fact that the police department had already called her and told his mom all about it, but she wanted to hear it from him.

"I saw a Cyclops." He said. "But it wasn't like how I saw the others."

"What happened?" His mom asked, sounding nervous.

"He saw me too." Jesse said, tears welling up in his eyes. "He started talking to me about how he needed to take me somewhere, and when I started running away he started growing taller and he chased me."

"How did you get away from him?" His mother asked, tears forming as well.

"I dove into a dumpster and hid for a while, I think he knew I was there but I heard some shouting and then he was gone." Jesse said. "Mom, what are you doing?"

Maria didn't answer her son's question directly as she pulled clothes out of Jesse's closet and stuffed them into his backpack. "It's time for you to go."

"What? Go where?"

"To Long Island. Your father wanted you to go there sooner, I should have listened to him." She said, still packing his bag and glancing out the window as she did so.

"Why would my father want me to go somewhere? I've never even met him." Jesse exclaimed, jumping out of bed to face his mother. "Mom, tell me what's going on."

Maria smiled sadly and placed her hand on her son's cheek, "I'm sorry, but there's no time to explain. Now take this," She handed him the duffel bag. "Don't ever lose that, do you understand?" Jesse nodded quickly, wondering if he was the only crazy person in the room. "You need to go to this address; 123 Half-Blood hill, Long Island."

"123 Half-Blood hill." Jesse repeated. "Mom, aren't you coming?"

Maria shook her head, tears pouring down her face, "You need to go, now."

Jesse pulled his mother into a long hug before dashing out of the room. As he raced down the hall, he could hear his mother call, "Don't lose that bag!"

As Jesse ran down the hall towards the elevator, Jesse slung the bag over his shoulder, making sure it wouldn't fall off. He reached the elevator and pressed the button, immediately the light flashed and the elevator doors opened.

Jesse let himself relax a bit as he stepped inside. He nodded towards the man also occupying the elevator, a tall man wearing a Mets cap, who nodded in return.

"Well, this saves me some time." The man said, taking off his hat. Jesse looked at him curiously and noticed that a large, bright blue eye was on the mans forehead. "And to think that I was going to break into your home and take you from there. You've made things much easier."

Thinking quickly, Jesse ran his hand down the button panel of the elevator, lighting up all twenty buttons and dashed out of the elevator, the door closing in the angry Cyclops' face. Suppressing a scream, Jesse sprinted down the hallway and kicked open the door leading to the stairs.

He raced down the stairs, tripping many times in his rush. After running down eight flights of stairs, Jesse had to stop to catch his breath. As he tried to regain his energy, two boys his age climbed up the stairs and noticed him.

"Are you ok?" One of them asked. Jesse, unable to speak, nodded a few times.

The other young man looked up the stairs curiously, "Your name isn't Jesse Cantor is it?"

Adrenaline and fourth grade karate lessons took control of Jesse at the realization of the fact that these two were after him as well. Without warning, Jesse jumped forward, placing his shoulder into the stomach of the first boy, pushing him against the wall.

He heard the wind get knocked out of the boy, but his brief moment of victory was cut short when the other boy grabbed Jesse by the back of his shirt and threw him to the ground. "Cut that out." He said, putting a foot on Jesse's chest, keeping him down. "You alright Charlie?" He asked his partner.

The other guy was squatting down, breathing hard, "Yeah, just give me a second to catch my breath."

"Get off of me! I won't let you give me to that Cyclops." Jesse shouted, spitting at his assailant.

"Cyclops?" Charlie asked. "A Cyclops is here?" The two teenagers looked at each other, both terrified.

"Get him out of here, I'll hold off One-Eye." The other teenager said, pulling what appeared to be a can of mace out of his pocket.

"No chance Henry, if you don't make it, how do you expect him to get to camp?" Charlie asked, pulling Jesse to his feet.

"You'll figure it out." Henry said calmly, "Now get out of here." He pressed the button on the can of mace, and to Jesse's amazement the can expanded in length and changed shape until it took the form of a long, golden trident.

"What the hell is going on?" Jesse finally asked.

"No time!" Henry said, a roar sounded from the top floor, followed by footsteps that shook the foundation of the building. "Get him out of here! Now!"

Jesse could tell the Charlie wanted to protest, but finally grabbed Jesse and started running down the stairs, as Henry ran up the stairs, trident in hand, towards the unseen enemy.

Jesse tried his best to keep in pace with Charlie as the older boy dragged him down the many flights of stairs. "Where are you taking me?" He asked after he nearly tripped over a few steps.

"I'm taking you to camp Half-Blood." Charlie said. He looked back up the stairs when a roar of anger echoed through the building. "Lets go."

As they kept running down the stairs, Jesse asked, "Why does everyone want me to go there? And what the hell is a half-blood?"

"Well, I'd tell you now, but we've got company." Charlie said, pointing to the bottom of the stairs. Climbing up the steps towards the two boys were four figures dressed in long white robes, each wielding a sword. As they got closer, Jesse took a step back, seeing that the men were actually skeletons.

"Stay here." Charlie said, reaching into a small backpack he was wearing. "Once they're distracted get outside and wait for me or Henry to come out." Jesse nodded as he watched in awe as Charlie pulled a long sword out of the tiny backpack. But before Jesse could question the magic backpack Charlie jumped down on the four skeletons swinging his sword down on the first monster.

The attack was knocked aside by the skeleton's sword and the other three skeletons closed in around Charlie. Jesse tried to keep track of the fight, but Charlie's sword was moving so quickly that all Jesse could see was a blur. Charlie ducked under a stab, letting the skeleton's sword knock off the head of another monster, "Jesse! Go!"

Snapping back to his senses, Jesse jumped over the railing and started running towards the door. He let out a girlish scream when he felt something grab his leg. He looked down and saw that a disembodied arm was clutching his ankle. Jesse started hopping towards the door while trying to pry the skeleton hand off his leg. When the hand finally relinquished it's grip, Jesse took it by the wrist and smashed it against the wall.

He dropped the hand and gave it a kick for good measure before running out the door, Charlie still fighting the monsters at the stairs. The moment Jesse stepped outside he felt a gust of wind against his face. For a brief moment, all was silent.

That moment was ended by a loud bellow from inside the building. Jesse turned around in time to see something fly from a window from the eighth floor, and crash into a nearby lamppost. With a loud crunching sound, the lamppost broke into pieces, leaving a prone figure lying in the mess of metal and wires. It was Henry.

Shocked, Jesse ran over to the fallen teenager, "Hey! Wake up!" He shouted, feeling Henry's neck for a pulse. It was there, but it wasn't strong.

"Right pocket…" Jesse heard Henry mutter. He kept repeating this until Jesse reached into the pocket and pulled out something tiny, wrapped in tin foil. He unwrapped it and saw what appeared to be a light colored brownie. At Henry's command, Jesse placed the treat in his mouth. While Henry chewed, Jesse heard a loud voice booming from behind him.

"You're dead Half-Blood!" Jesse looked up and saw the Cyclops poking its gigantic head out of the window that Henry flew out of. To Jesse's disbelief, the monster jumped down and landed on the pavement, causing it to crack, but he was unharmed.

"Easy kill for me." The Cyclops laughed stupidly, "The boss said it would be a hard assignment, but he was wrong!" As he spoke, every light on the block suddenly went out. Darkness enveloped the boys and monster. Jesse could barely see the faintest outline of the creature.

"Now to finish the job." The voice echoed all around Jesse, making him jump. Out of nowhere, Jesse felt something smash against his chest, breaking a rib, sending him flying through the air. Flipping through the air Jesse waited to smash into the pavement. But instead of death, he felt someone grab his arm and lift him high into the air.

"What the hell?" Jesse asked, he looked up and saw that his savior was Charlie, who was somehow flying above the Cyclops. But the Cyclops was different, it had grown many times its previous size, and was now dressed in rags

"You hurt?" Charlie asked as he hovered just out of the Cyclops' reach.

"I think I might've broken a rib," Jesse replied, "Oh, and I must be going out of my mind because there's a fucking Cyclops attacking me!"

"Yeah… I'll be happy to explain once we're out of here. Now eat this." Charlie said, and handed Jesse the same kind of brownie that Henry had eaten. Jesse popped it into his mouth, and started screaming in pain as soon as it was swallowed. He felt his rib shift back into place.

"Feeling better?" Charlie asked once Jesse stopped shaking. "Good," Satisfied, Charlie flew a short distance away from the angry Cyclops and lowered Jesse to the ground. "Stay here while we take care of this."

Charlie drew his sword again and flew towards the noise of Henry and the Cyclops fighting fiercely. Jesse leaned on the broken lamppost, clutching his newly-mended rib gingerly. The moment he touched the lamppost, the light flickered on. But when Jesse removed his hand from the cold metal, the light turned off with a pop.

He repeated the action one more time, with the same results. Deciding to question the logic later, Jesse grabbed the head of the street light and pulled it off the post. Once it was off the pole Jesse carried the glowing orb and pointed it in the direction of the fight, letting him see what was happening. All three of them were temporarily blinded by the sudden light, especially the Cyclops who gave a roar of protest, giving Henry a chance to stab him in the leg with his trident.

An idea popped into Jesse's head. He angled the lamp upwards, sending an intense beam of light, somehow stronger than it was before, straight into the Cyclops's eye. The monster screamed in pain.

"He's distracted! Lets get out of here!" Jesse shouted. He kept the light aimed at the monster's eye while Charlie skidded to a stop and Henry retreated.

But before they could escape two unexpected, but related events occurred. The first of which was Jesse's mother sticking her head out of the window to see what the noise was. The second was the Cyclops jumping into the air, grabbing Maria Cantor from the window and holding her in front of him as a hostage.

"Lower the light Half-Blood," The monster commanded over Maria's screams.

"Mom!" Jesse shouted.

"Lower the light!"

As Jesse lowered the beam of light to the monster's chest he heard a whispered conversation behind him.

"Do you have a shot?" Charlie asked.

"Yeah, I've got a shot." Henry said.

"Then take it."

"All right Half-Bloods, unless you want this woman to die, you'll lower your-" The Cyclops was interrupted by Henry's trident gouging itself into his eye. The Cyclops screamed in pain, and tightened his grip on Maria Cantor.

The next few seconds were burned into Jesse's mind forever. He watched helplessly as his mother screamed in pain and coughed out blood when her back broke. As she slumped over, Maria's murderer turned into dark black sand and blew away with an unfelt wind, taking Maria with it.

"MOM!" Jesse shouted, running after the sand. "MOM!"

"Henry we have to go!" Jesse heard Charlie say, "There could be more." Henry nodded and let out a loud whistle from between his teeth. The last thing Jesse heard before collapsing in a heap was what sounded like hoofs.

***


	2. Chapter 2

Jesse woke up in a comfortable bed, having no idea where he was, or how long he had been asleep. He sat up, rubbing his eyes and looked around the room. He seemed to be inside a large wooden cabin with white beds lining the walls, the only one of which was occupied, was his own.

As he scanned the room the door opened and a boy entered the cabin. He was shorter than Jesse, and had light brown hair that fell over one eye. He was wearing cargo shorts and sleeveless t-shirt, revealing muscular arms. He approached Jesses bed and removed his aviator sunglasses, revealing his bright blue eyes. "You're finally up!" He said, looking genuinely excited. "You've been asleep for two days."

"What?" Jesse asked, "That's impossible."

"Nah, it's normal." The guy said, "I was out for four days the first time I had ambrosia. You'll get used to it eventually. I'm Andrew by the way." Andrew said, extending his hand to shake.

Jesse took it, "I'm Jesse Cantor. You mind telling me where I am?"

"Well, what do you remember?" Andrew asked.

Jesse furrowed his brow, having to think hard in order to remember the past events. "Uh, my mom told me that I had to leave to go to a place called Camp Half-Blood, which is here, I guess. Then a Cyclops attacked me, then I ran into two other guys."  
"Henry and Charlie" Andrew said.

"Yeah. Then some skeletons appeared and they started fighting and when I got outside the Cyclops threw Henry out a window and then attacked me." Jesse said, "Then things got even weirder when Charlie started flying around. And then Henry shot the monster and...." Jesse stopped, memories rushing back to him. "Is my mom really dead?"

Andrew frowned, "I'm sorry. Charlie followed the sand's trail but he could only confirm the worst."

Jesse nodded, blinking away tears. "I feel like I should be more upset." He said, feeling strange.

"Yeah, that's the ambrosia, we gave you a bit extra to deal with grief. You should have a pretty nice buzz for a while." Andrew said, cracking a smile, which made Jesse laugh in spite of himself.

"Alright," Jesse said, wiping his eyes. It was strange, it was as if he knew that now was not the time to mourn for his mother. "You mind explaining where I am now?"

"I'd love to," Andrew said, "You think you can walk around?" With a grunt of exertion and a little help from Andrew, Jesse was able to get off the bed and walk towards the door on his shaky legs. Andrew opened the door, showing Jesse one of the most amazing things he had ever seen.

Laid out in front of him was a huge plain of green grass, followed by a lake surrounded by a beautiful forest. All over the lawn, Jesse could see kids, some his age, but most younger, running around and having fun.

"Welcome to camp Half-blood." Andrew said with a grin. Jesse was to busy gaping at the sight to respond. For the next fifteen minutes Andrew showed Jesse around some of the camp, stopping at the various activities. There was an archery range that was longer than a football field, an obstacle course that looked like a mountain, Jesse could have sworn that he saw it shake a few times and fake lava flowing out of the top.

There was also an arts and crafts station that looked more like a forge than anything else. There was a stable where at least fifty horses were being fed by a couple of campers. Andrew showed Jesse a few more buildings, the cafeteria, the bathrooms, and the training room. What Jesse found odd, however, was that many of the buildings looked ancient, as if there were pulled from a history book.

Jesse followed his guide through the camp until they reached yet another ancient building, which looked like an old Roman temple. When they entered, Jesse was shocked by the size, from the outside it looked like a fairly small building, but from the inside it was huge. Lining the walls were twenty foot status, all seated and staring down at them. Five were on either side and two were seated next to each other at the back wall.

Jesse's eyes lingered on one statue in particular, it was of a man, younger than most of the others, he had a small smile and seemed more relaxed than the other statues. In his left hand he was holding two arrows on his knee, and in his right was a long bow that reached up to the statue's chin.

"Well, well, if it isn't our newest camper." A male voice echoed through the temple. The voice hiccupped loudly before continuing. "Jesse Cantor, correct?" Jesse looked around and saw that at the feet of the two statues at the back of the room, there was a desk, and behind it was a man, about thirty, sipping something from a glass. His hair was long and ratty, and it looked like he had permanent 5 o'clock shadow.

"Yeah, I'm Jesse." He replied.

"Of course you're Jesse," The man snapped, "It was a hypothetical question."

"Mr. D, I don't think you got that right." Andrew said quietly.

"Whatever!" The man shouted, hiccupping again. "Well, welcome to Camp Half-Blood, yada yada yada."

"Mr. D, perhaps I should take over from here." A voice came from behind Jesse. The boy spun around and saw something that he hadn't seen in over three years. Behind him was a man, but not completely. From the waist up he looked like a half-naked, but normal middle aged man. But below the waist, was the body of an albino stallion.

A long moment passed in which Jesse stared at the centaur, Andrew braced himself for Jesse to freak out, and Mr. D kept drinking from his goblet.

"I've seen you before." Jesse finally said. "Three years ago, you were watching my baseball game."

The centaur nodded, "Yes. I've been watching you for a long time."

"You sent those monsters?" Jesse asked.

"Alas, we aren't the only ones who have been following you." The centaur said, "I am Chiron, activity director of this camp, and the trainer of Heroes like you."

"Heroes? What do you mean?" Jesse asked.

"Heroes are the offspring's of mortals and gods, also known as half-bloods" Andrew cut in. "I'm one, and so are you."

"The offspring of God…." Jesse said skeptically, just about ready to bolt for the door.

"No, not God." Chiron said, "The capital G is much different than what we're talking about, and I don't want to get into that. We're talking about the gods, the Greek gods." He motioned to the twelve statues surround them. Upon studying the statues, Jesse noticed that above their heads, each statue had a name labeled above them. Despite his dyslexia, Jesse could read the names easily.

At the front of the building, there was an middle aged man, with a neatly trimmed beard above the statue was the name Zeus. Lining the left wall were statues named Poseidon, Apollo, Ares, Hephaestus and Hermes. Seated next to the statue named Zeus was the replica a beautiful woman who was labeled as Hera. The statues to the right of Hera were named Demeter, Hestia, Aphrodite, Artemis and Athena. All of the statues seemed so powerful, so intimidating, and Jesse couldn't help but feel that they were all staring right through him.

"So your saying that I'm the son of one of these statues?" Jesse asked, "I'm the son of a god."

"Yes you are." Chiron said, "Your mother was a mortal, and your father is a god."

"And that makes me…a Hero?"

"Not as in, like, a superman hero," Andrew said, "But that's our title."

Jesse shook his head, "Listen, as much as I would like this to be true, I'm not the 'Hero' type."

"Ten bucks says your dyslexic." Andrew said. "Twenty more says you've got ADHD."

"Yeah, how'd you know?" Jesse asked, facing Andrew

"It's one of the tells. When the two are together than its about a 98% chance that you're a Hero. The dyslexia is because your brain is meant to read ancient Greek. The ADHD is your natural battle instincts. It keeps us alive."

"…Ok, you got me there." Jesse admitted, "But if this is true, and believe me, I want it to be, than why are the GREEK gods here instead of Greece?"

"I'll take this one." Chiron said, "Jesse, the gods are not necessarily Greek, rather, they could be considered the Western gods."

"What do you mean?"

"Throughout history, power has traveled west, and with it, went the gods. They spent time in Greece, than Rome, a lot of time in Europe, and now they're here."

Jesse took a moment to process that information. "Which one?"

"Which one what?" Chiron asked.

"Which god is my father?"

"We don't know. It could take any time for us to find out. Sometimes it takes years for half-bloods to learn who their parent is. Some never find out." Andrew said. "I didn't find out who my father was until after a month after coming here."

"Who is he?" Jesse asked.

Andrew motioned towards the giant statue seated behind him. "My father is Lord Zeus, king of the skies." Upon looking at Andrew and the statue together, Jesse could see the slight resemblance between the two. They had the same facial structure and broad shoulders.

"I must say, Jesse," Chiron said, "You are taking this news rather well, much better than most of our newcomers."

Jesse shrugged, "I don't know, it just sort of makes sense I guess. I've spent most of my life seeing all these things that couldn't be explained. This seems to be the only way it would make sense."

"Well then," Mr. D hiccupped from behind his chair. "Now that that's settled, Andrew, show Mr. Cantor to cabin twelve and leave Chiron and me to talk." Andrew bowed respectively towards Mr. D before motioning for Jesse to follow him.

"Be sure to respect him." Andrew whispered as they walked. "Mr. D is actually Dionysus, god of wine and insanity."

"He doesn't look the part." Jesse said under his breath.

"Trust me, he doesn't have to." Was Andrew's dark reply. "On a lighter note, it's time for me to show you where you'll be staying until you're determined."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jesse asked, squinting due to the sunlight that beat down on him as they left the temple.

"It'll make more sense once it happens." Andrew said, "Is it ok if I take the Mist off now?"

Jesse looked at him oddly. "What mist?"

Andrew flinched inwardly, "Right, sorry, keep forgetting that you're new at this. Usually they come earlier than seventeen, more like twelve or thirteen. The Mist is what keeps mortals from seeing what they shouldn't. So if a giant is walking around times square, mortals will only see a really tall guy."

"You however, are a half-blood, so the Mist is weaker on you, which explains why you were able to see some of the monsters. Here, though, the Mist is powerful, so in order for you to see what's really here, I would have to remove it." Andrew continued.

Jesse frowned, trying to keep up. "All right, go for it." Andrew nodded and stood face to face with Jesse. After putting on a face of pure concentration, he placed two fingers on Jesse's eyelids and snapped his fingers.

Jesse's eyes suddenly felt red-hot, but only for an instant. When Andrew moved his fingers, Jesse opened his eyes, and then widened them with shock. At least half of the campers he had seen prior to Andrew 'removing the Mist' were actually what appeared to be half goat people, all of whom were hanging out with the campers, playing their reed pipes or just talking to some of the spirits that were walking out of the trees.

All around him, Jesse could see things that wouldn't make sense to anyone else he knew, but to him, it was a relief to know that everything he had experienced in his life was real, that he wasn't crazy. Based on Andrew's smile, he knew exactly how Jesse felt. Wiping away a few tears, he muttered a quick "Thanks," to Andrew.


	3. Chapter 3

They continued their short walk, stopping a few times when Andrew had to speak to a few campers or the half-goat people, (Satyrs, Andrew called them). But after a few minutes, Andrew had brought Jesse to a small field containing twelve very different looking cabins, placed in a giant U, each numbered one through twelve..

Each of the cabins were as different as could be. One was made of polished marble and towered over most of the others. Another was blood red and looked more like an army barracks than a cabin. Jesse could see campers of different ages, genders and race, all hanging out together. They had apparently seen him as well and most of them were leaving their cabins, whispering to each other, trying to get a better look.

"All right, cabin twelve." Andrew said. "You'll be staying here for a while. I'll have someone bring you a sleeping bag and other stuff that you might need." Andrew brought Jesse to the first cabin on the left, and in Jesse's opinion, looked more like an actual cabin than the rest of them. It was made of wood, and fairly large. It reminded him of any tree-house or fort any kid would hang out in, although he never had one himself.

Jesse walked up the short stairs and the door to the cabin opened. Standing in front of him was a familiar face.

"So he's up!" Charlie said with a grin. He was a lanky kid. Not as tall as Jesse, but still a bit over six feet tall. His hair was cut short and stayed up in the 'faux hawk' style. He was wearing a tee-shirt with the logo of a band he didn't recognize, and torn up jeans. What was odd to Jesse, however, was that a sword hung at his waist. "How're you feeling?"

Jesse could only shrug, uncomfortable with all the kids staring at him.

"Don't you guys have girls to look at?" Charlie shouted at a group of campers that were eyeing Jesse warily. The campers scattered, more out of respect for Charlie than fear. Upon looking around, Jesse realized that Andrew had been telling the truth, he was older than most of the campers, as was Andrew and Charlie.

"All right man, I've got to run," Andrew said, "Charlie, Henry wants to talk to you about Capture the Flag." Charlie nodded and Andrew took his leave, nodded to Jesse as he went.

"So, welcome to our humble abode," Charlie said to Jesse, turning to the side to let Jesse in. Inside the cabin was at least ten bunk-beds and even more mattresses and sleeping bags sprawled out on the floor. Kids of various ages were running around, making a mess, and playing cards were everywhere, but all stopped as soon as Charlie and Jesse entered.

Charlie picked up a young kid, probably six years old, who ran towards him when he entered and hoisted him up so he could perch on his shoulder. "All right everyone. This is Jesse Cantor and he's new here."

"Hi Jesse Cantor." The cabin chorused, not sounding at all excited.

"Determined?" A kid shouted from his card game.

Charlie shook his head, causing groans throughout the cabin. Jesse saw a few disappointed kids hand over gold coins to the campers who had guessed right.

"Hey now," Charlie said, "You all have seemed to have forgotten one of our father's rules. We are a friend to travelers, aren't we?" There were some reluctant nods. "All right then." Charlie let the little boy slide off his shoulder and set him down. "Ok Bill, I need you to sneak to the camp store and steal some supplies for Jesse. Can you do that?" The young boy grinned from ear to ear, nodded and then dashed out of the cabin.

"My brother." Charlie said, referring to the child who just left. "And don't worry, he isn't actually stealing anything. Good practice though. Anyway, I'm sure you have a lot of questions, lets go somewhere we can talk." Jesse nodded thankfully and followed Charlie outside. They sat down at a bench a ways away from the cabins. "So, what would you like to know?"

"Were you really flying when you rescued me?" Jesse asked with a laugh.

Charlie smiled, "Yeah." He motioned for Jesse to look at his shoes. Charlie tapped the ground twice with the front of his shoes, then once with the back. Instantly, a pair of silver wings sprouted from either side of the converses. "They were a gift from my father, they've saved my life more than once."

"They saved my life too." Jesse said with a laugh. "So who's your father?"

"You can't guess?" Charlie said, puzzled. "I figured the winged shoes would give it away. My father is Hermes, the messenger of the gods."

Jesse shrugged and leaned forward, "And all of the people in your cabin are sons and daughters of Hermes as well?"

Charlie frowned and shook his head. "Some of them, but the rest are just undetermined. Half-Bloods that were never claimed by their immortal parent."

"Why wouldn't they claim them, they're their children!" Jesse said.

Charlie shrugged, "Sometimes they forget who they've been with. The gods get around you know. And sometimes they only claim those they think are worthy." At this Jesse felt a surge of fear that he himself may have been forgotten.

"Hey, don't worry about it." Charlie said, reading his expression. "You'll be all right. Now, come on, you've got to want to know more than that."

Jesse thought for a moment, "So if most of the people living in cabin twelve are children of Hermes, than each cabin represents a god? And their children live there?"

Charlie nodded, "You're catching on! Yes, there is a cabin for most of the Olympians. Hades isn't considered an Olympian so he doesn't have a cabin. Hestia is too busy being the goddess of the hearth to have flings with mortals so she let Mr. D have a cabin in her stead. But besides her, all the other Olympians have a cabin, but not all of them are used."

"Why's that?" Jesse asked, trying to keep up.

"Well, Hera and Artemis refuse to have mortal children. Hera is the goddess of marriage and would never cheat on her husband, despite how much of a flirt he is. And Artemis has sworn to be a maiden forever. But if we didn't give them cabins they would get pissed off, so they have them for ceremonial reasons. But the rest of them don't mind coming down to earth for a bit of fun with humans. And that's how we came around." Charlie said, giving Jesse a pat on the back.

Jesse nodded, and then realized that the most important question had yet to be asked. "Why are we all here? Why do the gods want Half-Bloods to stay here?"

"Well Jesse," Charlie said, "There is an easy, but not very happy, answer to that. It is because we Heroes are the god's tools. There are a bunch of rules stating that the gods can't do this and that, so that's where we come in. If there's a problem, then they call on us to take care of it."

"Are you serious?" Jesse asked.

"Serious as Hades. Stonewall Jackson, general for the Union. He was the son of Ares. George Washington, you have Mama Athena to thank."

"But don't you worry, the life of a Hero may not be the easiest life, but at least we do something." Charlie said. "Now come on, its time for dinner."


	4. Chapter 4

Five minutes later, Jesse was standing in the back of the line for cabin twelve, watching all the other cabins assemble. He took note that all the cabins varied greatly in numbers, three cabins in fact had no campers while two cabins only had one each. The line he was in, representing Hermes, was the largest by far, so they got to enter the cafeteria first. Jesse followed the line towards one of the tables. In front of each chair was a plate, silverware, and an empty goblet, but no food.

While the campers noisily sat by cabins, Chiron, who was standing at the head table with Mr. D, stamped his hoof against the marble floor, causing silence to ensue. "Before we begin our feast, I have two announcements. The first is that we have a new camper joining us today. Please welcome, Jesse Cantor."

The campers half-heartedly lifted their empty goblets and chorused, "Welcome Jesse." Although, most of them got his name wrong.

"And we have a returning camper today!" Chiron said, this time, almost all of the campers and staff started cheering. "Welcome home to Noah Fouad!" Chiron shouted, causing the campers to give a standing ovation.

Jesse stood as well, mainly not to look like an idiot while the others clapped. He looked around to see who Noah was and finally spotted him. Noah was the only camper staying in his seat, and was smiling sheepishly while his cabin-mates patted him on the back.

Chiron stamped his hoof on the floor to cease the applause, but it took a full minute for the clapping to die down. "I'm sure our young Hero will be happy to tell us of his quest, but first, dinner."

Disappointed that they wouldn't hear the story until after their meal, the campers sat down and started to eat the food that had suddenly appeared on their plates. Jesse shook his head, "I'm going to have to get used to this I guess." He muttered to himself. He dug into the juicy piece of steak that had appeared on his plate and groaned inwardly. It was the most delicious thing he had ever tasted.

"Tell the goblet what you want." The kid sitting across from him said.

Excited and a bit suspicious, Jesse took his goblet and said, "Coke." Instantly, the goblet filled itself with the dark colored liquid. Grinning, Jesse took a great chug from his drink. Over his cup, Jesse saw that one of the tables in front of his only had one person seated there. And that was Henry.

Jesse noticed that the table behind Henry's was also occupied by only one person, Andrew. Jesse nudged the kid next to him, "What's the deal with those two sitting alone?" He asked.

The camper next to him, whose name was Paul, put down his fork, "Well, Henry is the son of Poseidon, and Andrew is the son of Zeus." He said, "After world war two, the three brothers, Zeus Poseidon and Hades all swore never to have mortal affairs again since the war was pretty much between their children. But, Zeus and Poseidon of them could keep their promise and they all had one more child. But since the punishment was pretty severe, they've been careful not to have anymore."

Jesse nodded and thanked the camper, who returned to his meal. Jesse ate in silence for the next twenty minutes before Chiron trotted to the center of the room and called for quiet. "Half-Bloods, Satyrs, Naiads and Dryads, our friend Noah has returned!"

Cheers erupted from the campers mouths and the sound of clapping echoed through the building. "Noah," Chiron shouted over the noise, "Please come up here and tell us of your quest."

Jesse turned and watched Noah stand up from his table, the other six people who Jesse assumed were his siblings gave him a standing ovation as he did, and made his way to Chiron. Noah was African-American and had a shaved head. He had the biggest arms Jesse had ever seen. Jesse noticed that Noah used a cane to walk due and had a band limp on his right leg. When the clapping finally ceased, Noah told his story.

"Well, as you all know, my father, Hephaestus, gave me a quest." At the sound of the god's name, Noah's table gave a quick cheer. "He gave me the task of defending one of his forges near Hawaii from the Stymphalian birds."

Jesse had a quick flashback to his ancient Greek classes from freshman year and remembered that the Stymphalian birds were metallic, man-eating birds that Heracles fought.

"Traveling there was difficult, because flying was impossible since somehow the birds knew I was coming. I could see them flying above all the time If I had boarded a plane, they would have torn it apart." Noah said. "So I took a train to California and then built a small, one man submarine."

"Yeah, he can do that." A voice came from behind Jesse. He turned and saw that Charlie had come over to talk to him, "Noah is the son of Hephaestus, god of the forge and fire. Noah can make anything if he's given enough metal." Jesse nodded to Charlie and moved over to give the son of Hermes a seat.

"The forge was located inside a small volcano, about fifty miles from Hawaii," Noah continued. "By the time I was there, the birds were already attacking, and the guns and other traps my father had set were running low."

"Show us the war-hammers!" Someone shouted from Noah's table. Everyone laughed and started chanting for him to show them the 'hammers'. Grinning sheepishly, Noah pulled two small rods out of his pocket and pressed a small button causing them to grow into two gigantic war-hammers.

"And I used these gifts from my father to defend his forge." Noah shouted over the noise. "And after the birds were killed, my father came to me for the first time and thanked me." The crowed when silent.

"Wow." Charlie muttered, "That doesn't happen everyday."

"It doesn't?" Jesse asked.

Charlie shook his head, "You have to be pretty great for your immortal parent to meet you like that. Henry and Andrew haven't meet their dad's yet, and they're the strongest Heroes here."

Jesse raised his eyebrows, surprised by the gods incessant need to be impressed. "Have you met Hermes?" He asked, but before Charlie could answer, Noah had continued his story.

"But I have a bad feeling." Noah said, bringing his speech to a close. "Those birds seemed very determined to attack the forge. I feel that they were after the weapons my father had made. I do not believe that this was a simple raid. I think that something bigger may be going on." Jesse saw many people, Chiron, and the older campers nod in agreement. There was a long moment of silence before Noah finished his speech. "BLUE TEAM FOR THE WIN!" Noah shouted, and made his way to his table, with half of the cafeteria cheering, and the other half booing.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jesse shouted over the noise.

"Capture the flag!" Charlie shouted back. "There's a match once a month. The next one is in a week. The cabins make alliances with each other and divide into two teams, Red and Blue. This month the teams are led by cabins two and five. Poseidon and Ares."

"Henry's cabin?" Jesse asked, not having to yell now that the noise was dying down. "Isn't that a bit unfair? He doesn't have anyone else in his cabin."

"Trust me on this one, he doesn't need anyone else." Charlie laughed, "Besides, he has cabins twelve, one and seven. The rest are on Red, so the numbers are about even, if not favoring Red a little."

"So I'll be playing with you guys?" Jesse asked, liking the prospect of having a little normalcy in such a crazy camp.

"Sure thing, we'll have to get you set up with a sword though. It shouldn't be a problem."

"A sword?!" Jesse exclaimed. Charlie only smiled and walked away to talk to Chiron.

Jesse walked out with the rest of the campers a few minutes later and spotted Henry talking with Andrew. Wanting to speak to his other rescuer, Jesse ran to greet him.

"Henry, right?" Jesse said, extending his hand to shake. "I thought I should actually introduce myself."

"Yeah, hey Jesse." Henry said, shaking his hand. Like Jesse and Charlie, he was quite tall. He had dark, curly hair and piercing grey eyes. He had a scar below his right ear and (Jesse noticed when shaking his hand) the tip of his right pinky finger was missing. "It's good to see you finally woke up. About your mother…"

Jesse cut him off with a wave of his hand, "Later, I'm still a bit high on ambrosia."

Henry chuckled sadly, "Later it is, how are you adjusting to the life of a half-blood?"

"To be honest, it's a bit easier to understand than my old life." Jesse laughed.

"Ah shit," Andrew muttered, "He's at it again…" Jesse followed Andrew's gaze towards a commotion by the volleyball court. From what Jesse could tell, Noah and his cabin mates were arguing loudly with a much larger group from another cabin. The second group's leader finally shoved Noah and an all-out brawl started.

Jesse heard Henry mutter something in ancient Greek, which Jesse somehow understood to be a dirty word, and ran over to the volleyball court with Andrew by his side. Not wanting to be left out, Jesse ran after them. As soon as they reached the fight, Henry and Andrew started pulling the campers off of each other, Jesse had trouble pulling a kid off of Noah's back, for a twelve year old, the kid was strong!

"What's going on here?" Andrew shouted once the fighting had stopped.

"Nothing Thunder head." A tall kid from the larger group said with a sneer, "Why don't you go mind your own business."

"Jacob made fun of Noah's leg!" A younger kid from Noah's cabin said, "And he tried to take his cane away!" Jesse looked at Noah, who was wiping blood from his nose. He had a blank look on his face, but Jesse see it in his eyes that Noah was furious.

"Is this true Jacob?" Henry asked, bristling angrily.

The tall kid sneered again, "All I did was ask if it would affect the match next week." His cabin mates chuckled. "I guess we'll just have to see. Lets go guys." At his command, all but one of the campers from his gang, followed Jacob back to the cabins. The one who lingered behind turned to Noah.

"Hey man, I'm sorry about Jacob, he's just jealous that you met your father." He said. "I would've stopped him, but you know Jacob…"

Noah shrugged and shook the other boys hand, "Don't worry about it Derek, you didn't fight, that's what matters." Derek nodded, turned and ran off to catch up with his cabin-mates.

"That's cabin five, Ares' kids." Andrew said, "Most of them are violent jackasses, but Derek's ok."

But Jesse wasn't listening. He was to busy bouncing a volleyball on the palm of his hand and aiming his throw. Satisfied, Jesse stepped forward and flung the ball as hard as he could. It sailed through the air, and for a brief moment, all was silent as Jesse, Henry, Noah, Andrew and all of Noah's cabin watched as the ball smashed the back of Jacob's head, causing him to face-plant into the grass. The son of Ares sprang up and turned around, trying to identify the thrower, but the campers at the volleyball field had already scattered, leaving Jacob looking stupid and embarrassed.

"What are you thinking?" Andrew asked Henry from their hiding place behind a statue of a Centaur.

"I'm thinking that I want that kid on our team."


	5. Chapter 5

From there, Jesse did the best he could to get into the camp life. After his introduction to Jacob and the rest of cabin five, Jesse played the most intense game of volleyball ever, took a second tour of the camp and started making friends in cabin twelve.

"So is Charlie the leader of this cabin?" Jesse asked his cabin mates as he took a sip of soda. He was lounging in the cabin, along with ten other boys and girls.

"Yup." A thirteen year old boy said, he took a quick look around to make sure Charlie wasn't around, "He won't admit it, but he's one of the strongest people in the camp. He's up in Henry and Andrew's level." Jesse saw the youngest boy in the cabin, Billy, puff out his chest proudly from his perch on the top bunk. One of the kids in cabin twelve informed Jesse earlier that Billy was Charlie's full brother, sharing the same mother and immortal parent, which was uncommon.

The conversation went on for a good half an hour, Jesse learned about the other cabins and the campers and started learning the names of his cabin-mates. Finally, Charlie came into the cabin and declared "lights-out". There were groans of protest, but after a few minutes, Jesse climbed into the sleeping bag that Billy gave him and fell asleep.

He dreamt of his mother.

They were sitting on a bench together in Central Park, laughing about his dream about gods and monsters. He reached for a sandwich his mother was offering, but felt something tug against his arm. He turned and jumped in fright. Holding tightly to his wrist was a young man, about nineteen. Like Jesse, he had blonde hair. His eyes were bright green and he wore a full three-piece suit.

Before Jesse could scream the man spoke, "You forgot this." The body lifted his uninjured arm and reveled the bag that Jesse's mother had given him.

"Where did I-" Jesse started to ask.

"You have work to do." The man in his dream said.

Jesse turned and looked back at his mother, who was nodding in agreement. "What do you mean?" He asked, turning around again. But he was alone. He was about to ask again but he felt someone shake him fiercely.

"Wake up!"

Jesse jolted to a sitting position and looked around. He was still in the cabin, and Charlie was kneeling besides him. "C'mon, it's pancake day and we're late for breakfast."

Jesse nodded, "Yeah…sure." He got up and stretched his arms.

"Oh, by the way, I found this on the floor next to you, the Satyrs must've dropped it off last night. Is it yours?" Charlie asked, tossing Jesse his duffel bag.

Jesse took a long moment to answer. "Yeah, it's mine."

***

Jesse tried his best to ignore his cryptic dream and the return of his bag by drowning his pancakes in syrup. He wolfed down his breakfast just in time for Chiron's announcements. The Centaur spoke about the various activities that would take place that day and told the campers that the woods surrounding the camp was being re-stocked with monsters that day so game hunting would commence on the morrow.

When the announcements ended, Jesse stood to leave with the rest of his cabin but was stopped by the centaur. "How are you adjusting?" Chiron asked.

Jesse shrugged, "I'm doing alright, it shouldn't take me to long to get used to all this."

Chiron nodded solemnly, "Well, this morning you'll be trying every activity in camp. This way we can get a better idea of your skills and maybe get a hint of who your father is."

"How would the activities help us find out who my father is?" Jesse asked, suddenly very interested.

"Well, sometimes it's easy," Chiron said, "Andrew, for example, can shock someone with a jolt of electricity just by touching their arm. Henry can breathe underwater, manipulate ocean and river currents, and speak to horses and sea creatures."

"And Noah is great at building things because he's the son of Hephaestus." Jesse said.

"Right," Chiron nodded, "However, it's not always that easy. The children of Hermes are especially difficult to identify, since they seem to excel in everything, for example, they would be quite good at swordsmanship, but not to the same level of Ares' children." The two stepped out of the cafeteria and into the sun.

"Chiron," Jesse said, "I had a weird dream last night."

The Centaur looked at Jesse for a second, choosing his words carefully. "Explain this dream to me." He said. Jesse quickly explained his dream, and made sure to mention the mysterious appearance of his bag and how his mother had instructed him not to lose it before she died. He also described the man in his dream, and told Chiron what he had said.

"Hmm, this is strange news indeed." Chiron said. "I must think of this by myself for some time. You, however, should let this slip your mind for now and enjoy your day. It seems your guide is ready for you." Jesse glanced behind him and saw Henry waving towards them from a swing set. "We don't want to keep him waiting, run along now. I'll speak with you on this matter later.

***

. "Ok then, I thought that we could start with some target practice." Henry said after shaking Jesse's hand. "Lets go." The two jogged a short way to the volleyball court, where there was a ball from every sport that Jesse knew of lined up next to each other.

"I was impressed with your throw yesterday." Henry said, "Everyone was, we haven't seen anything like that in a while. You pitch?" Jesse nodded. "I figured, but I also think that it might be a bit more than that. Now these balls have been made to appear back here after landing so give that baseball a throw."

"Are you serious?" Jesse asked, "They'll just appear right back?"

"You can thank Noah later, now throw the ball as far as you can." Henry said.

With a shrug, Jesse picked up the baseball at his feet. He placed two fingers across the seams, took a step, and threw a fast one towards the lake. They both watched in surprise as the ball sailed through the air, finally fell downward and skipped at least three times on the surface of the lake before sinking into the water.

"Shit…" Jesse and Henry said at the same time.

"I didn't think you could throw like that." Henry said.

"Neither did I." Jesse laughed.

Henry frowned, "I guess that's possible. Our powers often come from knowledge of the truth. I wasn't able to control water until after I learned I was a Half-Blood, just the occasional water fountain exploding. The same thing goes for monsters. The more you know about yourself and your power, the stronger of a scent you'll give, ipso facto, the more aware of you they become."

Jesse spent the next fifteen minutes throwing each ball at random targets that Henry would choose, hitting each one with surprising speed and accuracy. Once Henry decided that they were done the duo made their way to a large arena that made Jesse think of the Roman coliseums. There were already a bunch of campers inside, all armed with swords, shields, axes and spears, sparring with each other, regardless of age.

"Is this safe?" Jesse asked nervously.

Henry laughed, "Yeah, it's fine. Fighting comes naturally to Heroes."

"ADHD, right?" Jesse interjected.

"Exactly, it heightens our awareness, it'll keep you alive in a fight." Henry said. "Now, how about you grab a sword and I'll get you a fight." Henry took Jesse inside the building, bringing them to a large dirt arena. The circular walls were lined with various weapons. Jesse quickly noticed that the swords looked to be made of bronze, rather than steel.

"Take a pick." Henry said, "I'll go find your opponent." Jesse nodded and looked over the different weapons. He finally chose a slim long sword and a round wooden shield. He gripped the shield and held it up with his sword, The felt weird in his hands, and he much rather have used a weapon of a lighter weight.

"Jesse, you remember Derek?" Henry said from behind Jesse. With the son of Poseidon was one of the members of cabin five. Derek was dark skinned, and much shorter than Jesse, but also much broader. The teenager had a large steel shield strapped to his arm, but no sword to speak of. "Derek here will be checking to see if your as good at fighting as you are at throwing."

"Do you have any experience with fighting?" Derek asked as they walked towards a space of the arena that wasn't occupied by sparring campers.

When Jesse shook his head, "Nothing outside the playground."

Derek wore an expression of surprise. "Really? A Hero without any battles to speak of? That's a first. Ah well, I won't expect to much then." He reached into his pocket and pulled out what appeared to be the hilt of a sword.

"Uh, isn't there supposed to be a blade on that?" Jesse asked.

To answer Jesse's question, Derek spun the hilt in his hand, somehow causing the blade of a broadsword to appear on the hilt.

"Where do people keep getting all this cool shit?" Jesse asked himself as he gripped his sword tighter.

"All right, we're just going to go over a few maneuvers so I can get a hang on your ability." Derek said, "We'll do it blow by blow, so when I strike, you block and then attack, and then I'll block it and take another swing. Slow motion, ok?" For the next hour, Derek lead Jesse through a series of manures that were used on various opponents. Jesse learned how to cripple a Cyclops, disarm a human, fight flying opponents, and other difficult attacks. It was hard work, and Jesse felt uncomfortable fighting someone so close to him, and would have much rather been fighting from a distance. But after a while, Jesse started to get the hang of swordplay, and after his tutorial with Derek was over, he did some mock battles with the younger campers, although he could never win.

"How'd he do?" Henry asked Derek when he returned.

Derek shrugged and turned away from watching Jesse spar with a twelve year old from Athena's cabin. "He's getting better, but I wouldn't say that his talent has anything to do with his father."

Henry nodded, "Well that takes out a few options…Ok then, I'll take him from here." ***

"He saw all that in a dream?" Charlie asked.

Chiron nodded and paced back and forth. He was in his office, standing before Charlie, Andrew and Mr. D. The two Heroes were sitting on a couch, listening attentively, while the god of wine was leaning back in an armchair, sipping from a goblet.

"Are you sure he saw Oliver?" Andrew asked.

"He described him perfectly." Chiron said.

"What does this mean?" Charlie asked, "Why would Oliver show himself to a new camper?"

"The same reason he would show himself to any camper, a prophecy." Chiron said cryptically. "It seems that we will have to keep an eye on Mr. Cantor. Mr. D, I would like to ask you to go to Mt. Olympus and see if the Olympians have anything to say about this."

The god nodded and hiccupped before glowing with a bright golden light. Charlie, Andrew and Chiron looked away, knowing that if they saw the god in his divine form they would be reduced to ash. Once the glowing stopped, Mr. D was gone, leaving only the faint smell of grapes in his wake.

"What do we do now?" Andrew asked. "If Oliver does have a prophecy about Jesse, then he has to hear it! It could concern us all."

"I agree," Chiron said, "But we have to wait until Jesse can develop his skills. If it does call for a quest, I don't want to send him on a suicide mission. We'll continue to keep a close eye on him, and hopefully he'll be determined sooner rather than later, when he is, we'll discuss our next move."

***

Jesse collapsed on his sleeping bag, exhausted, and slightly disappointed, from the days events. After swordplay, Henry had crammed a years worth of activities in a day. Jesse had spent time in the forges with Noah and some other campers, failing miserably in the attempt to make a sword. He nearly drowned himself during a canoe race, got his ass kicked when learning to fight without weapons with some kids from Ares' cabin. After a quick bag lunch, Jesse proceeded to fail at almost every other activity the camp had to offer.

Besides the target practice, the only thing he excelled at were the sprints. He found himself able to out run every camper who challenged him, and a few tree-spirits called Naiads.

Despite his small amount of success, Jesse felt embarrassed by his lack of skill. It seemed to him that every other Half-Blood had super-human abilities, while he could only throw a ball. Deciding to skip dinner, Jesse let himself fall into a dreamless sleep.

***

Four days passed quickly for Jesse. After his day training with Henry, Chiron took over the duty of Jesse's coach. Having heard of Jesse's talent of accuracy, Chiron had Jesse spend most of his days at the archery range. Although he started a bit shaky, Jesse learned quickly and it didn't take long for him to become one of the better archers in camp.

When they weren't at the archery range or doing sprints, Jesse and Chiron spent a good amount of time walking through the woods surround the camp. They talked about Jesse's life before camp, and Chiron answered any questions that Jesse had about the gods or other Half-Bloods. Jesse learned that Chiron was in fact the same Centaur who had been given the duty of training all Heroes since ancient times, including Heracles, in exchange for immortality.

Chiron even gave Jesse history lessons, re-teaching him about everything about ancient Greece that he learned in school, but in a much more detailed and understandable way. He learned about the Titans: Atlas, Oceanus, Hyperion and of course, Kronos the lord of the Titans. Kronos had been a cruel ruler of the world, and his five children, Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hera and Hestia defeated him, chopped him into pieces and threw him into Tartarus, the deepest part of hell (or Hades, as everyone in camp would call it).

After the history classes, Chiron would tutor Jesse in ancient Greek. The language came easier to Jesse than English did. Within days, Jesse could read Greek perfectly, while the words in English still seemed to float off the page.

Jesse was able to learn a few things about himself even without Chiron's help. He realized that the physical strength of all Heroes would seem amazing to humans, while his own seemed normal to the other Half-bloods at camp. Already, Jesse was able to perform acts that he would have considered amazing just a few days before. He could do a back flip without a second though, and lift three times his own weight. It seemed that Charlie was right, as Jesse's knowledge of himself grew, so did his power.

"Jesse!" Charlie called, jogging over to his friend, "I haven't seen much of you, how've you been?"

Jesse set down the bow Chiron had lent him and turned away from the targets he was shooting at. He was glad to see Charlie, it was getting dark anyway, and he was about to head back to the cabin. "I'm doing well, how're you?"

Charlie shrugged, "I'm pretty good, I'm co-captain for the capture the flag, so I've been busy planning out our strategy for tomorrow. Which is why I've been looking for you."

Jesse frowned, "Why've you been looking for me?"

"I've seen your shooting," Charlie said, "And I think that you could be a valuable asset tomorrow."

Jesse grinned, "Sure thing, I'd be happy to help."

"Excellent," Charlie said, "As a token of my gratitude, I would like you to borrow this for tomorrow." He pulled a dark blue Yankees cap from his bag and twirled it on his finger. "It was a gift from my father, I think you'll find it damn useful." Jesse thanked him and took the hat. "Try it on." Charlie said.

Jesse did as he was told, "What does it do?" He asked, picking up his bow as he spoke. Before Charlie answered, Jesse jumped back in surprise. He could see his bow in front of him, but instead of seeing his hand holding it, the bow seemed to be floating in mid air. Dropping the bow, Jesse put his arms in front of him, but still couldn't see them.

"You figure it out?" Charlie asked, smiling.

Jesse pulled the cap off his head and instantly his arms reappeared. "It made me invisible!" He said.

"No shit. And don't worry, now that you know what it does, you can make anything your holding invisible as well." Charlie said, "I figured that it would be perfect for you tomorrow, you could hide out in a tree and shoot down whoever comes by, because frankly, you wouldn't be able to do that with a sword."

"Wait, shoot them down?" Jesse asked, "I'm not going to kill anyone!"

"Nah, don't worry about that, you'll be given blunt arrows. You'll bruise, but no one will get killed." Charlie said. "So what've you been up to with Chiron?"

***

After filling his friend in on the last few days, Jesse went off to the cafeteria and joined the line representing the cabin of Hermes. Now that he was no longer the lowest ranked Hero in camp, he didn't have to stand in the back of the line and was now closer to the middle. The campers filed in, sat at their tables, and started to eat. Now that he knew most of the campers by name and could call many of his cabin-mates his friends, Jesse ate happily while enjoying conversation with his friends. There was an excited buzz amongst the campers and an obvious tension between some of the cabins.

Once everyone had finished their sirloin steak, Chiron stamped a hoof on the marble floor, the echoing sound demanding silence. The campers stopped talking to listen to their camp director. "As I'm sure you all know," Chiron said, "Capture the flag is tomorrow." There was a deafening roar as the campers exploded into cheers. "Yes I know, its all very exciting." Chiron said when the noise went down. "Team captains, come forward."

More cheers started as Henry, from the Poseidon table, and Jacob, from the Ares table, stood up and made their way to Chiron. "Captains, announce your co-captains."

Henry looked at Jacob, who motioned for him to go first. Nodding, Henry stepped forward, "As Blue Team captain, I declare the following campers as my co-captains; Andrew, from Cabin One, Noah from Cabin Seven and Charlie from Cabin Twelve." The 'Blue Team' members went crazy with cheers while the afore mentioned co-captains joined Henry at the front of the room.

When the cheers died down Jacob stepped forward, "As Red Team captain, I declare the following campers as my co-captains. Derek from Cabin Five, Peter from Cabin Six, and Bobby from Cabin Nine." While more cheers erupted, Jesse looked over the opposing captains. He, of course, knew Derek well enough, and recognized the other two, Peter was a son of Athena, goddess of war and wisdom, and knew that Bobby was the son of Mr. D, god of wine.

After the co-captains shook hands Chiron stated the rules, "Remember, campers must be at least twelve years of age to participate and no intentional maiming. Also, as an added bonus, several lower-classed monsters will be placed in the games area just to make things interesting. Magic weapons and items are permitted. Now I'm sure that your captains will want to discuss tomorrow with you, am I right?" Jacob and Henry both nodded.

"Excellent," Chiron said, "Blue Team meets at the temple, Red Team stays here. Good luck tomorrow." With that, Chiron left the cafeteria, side by side with Mr. D. The campers excitedly got ready for the meetings, those that were on the Blue Team stood and followed Henry, Noah, Andrew and Charlie to the temple, while the rest stayed for their own meeting.

When the team made it to the temple, the captains stood on the steps while the others sat on the grass in front of them. Jesse sat towards the back with some of the other campers in cabin twelve.

"All right everyone, so there has been a few changes to the teams since last month, this is both good and bad." Henry said, "The bad part, Athena's cabin is on the other side this time, so we can't count on them giving us a strategy, but we can count on them coming up with one to beat us. But on the bright side, we have Noah and the rest of Hephaestus' cabin on our team, so we wont have to worry about any crazy traps around the Red flag."

There were a few cheers from cabin seven and a few others, but Henry raised his hand for silence. "So I have asked Noah if he could prepare anything that we could use for defense."

Henry motioned for Noah to speak. The young man stood up, using his cane to support himself. "I do have a few inventions lying around," He said, "Unfortunately, since I was gone for a few weeks I haven't had a lot of time to make as much as I would like to. However, I have a few specially made weapons that Henry can distribute by his leisure." There was a polite applause as Noah sat down and Charlie stood up.

"We decided that our best bet would be to use the waterfall as our home base. That way, Henry can play defense by using the waterfall. Also, there is plenty of room to fight there, and we can put the flag uphill." Charlie said. "While he leads defense, Andrew and I will each be leading a team to find and steal the flag. We'll let you know who will be where at the end of the meeting."

"Also, there will be a small team playing midfield over the river. Their job would be to make sure that little or no campers from the other team get into our territory, and that, gods forbid, they get the flag, this team will make sure they don't get to their base with it. Andrew will give the assignments."

For the next few minutes, Andrew proceeded to read off a list of twenty campers and where they would be positioned. Somewhere in the middle of the list Andrew called out, "Jesse Cantor, midfield." But as the list continued, no one else was called to play midfield. Once the list was done, and Henry dismissed the campers to bed, Jesse approached him.

"Why am I the only midfielder?" He asked.

Henry looked up, "Well, midfielders are generally archers, and to be honest, we're lacking in that department. And besides, from what I've heard from Chiron, you won't need any help." Jesse frowned, but nodded. "But this is good," Henry said, "I was about to call you over, Noah has some arrows for you to use tomorrow. Make sure you pick them up before the match."

"Sure thing, but one more question," Jesse said, "Chiron said 'no maiming'…so how do we stop the other campers?"

Henry looked surprised, "By beating the hell out of them."

Authors note: Hey guys, it's wingfoot (duh). If you've read this far that means you like what you've seen so far, or you're wondering if it could get any worse. Either way, post on the review page and let me know. I'll give you candy, which you shouldn't take since i'm a stranger.


	6. Chapter 6

Hey guys, wingfoot here. Action-packed chapter here. Enjoy. Read and review.

The next morning, Jesse walked with his teammates towards the forest, the armor Charlie had given him clanked uncomfortably around with each step Jesse took. In his right hand he carried a longbow that Chiron had given him, in his left was his duffle bag, which he had stuffed with various items that Noah and Charlie gave him. Over his shoulder was a large quiver filled with blunt arrows. He had already checked their weight and found that they flew the same as the regular arrows would.

Each of the arrows were tipped with what Chiron called, "Celestial Bronze". According to the Centaur, this was the only thing that could harm immortals and monsters. Heroes however, were prone to both steel and bronze, making them even more vulnerable.

When they reached the forest, Chiron gave another speech going over the rules and regulations of Heroes Capture the Flag. Once it was over the two teams separated and made their way to their own base. On the way, Henry, Noah, Andrew and Charlie discussed various attack points and weak areas in defense. When they reached their territory, Charlie and Andrew left the group, taking five campers each to get ready to attack.

"Ok Jesse," Henry said after a few more minutes of walking. "Your post is up in that tree." He pointed to the tallest oak tree in the area. "From there you should be able to see long way, including our flag, so keep an eye open in each direction."

Jesse nodded, put his bow over his shoulder and started climbing the tree. Henry was right, even only halfway up, Jesse could see the waterfall and much more. Unfortunately, Chiron had cast some sort of spell that prevented the teams from seeing each other until the game started, so he was unable to see his opponents yet. Jesse found a comfortable looking branch and sat himself down..

He hung the bag over the branch, making sure it was an arms reach away in case he needed it. Straddling the branch, Jesse leaned against the trunk and held his bow ready, already having an arrow laying against it. As a final precaution, Jesse pulled Charlie's baseball cap of invisibility out of his bag and put it on.

Jesse sat still for several minutes before Chiron sounded the horns, a signal saying the game had started. Almost immediately, Jesse could here the battle cries of campers and the clash of swords. Hearing campers getting closer, Jesse readied an arrow and pulled it back. He saw five campers running towards his territory. He recognized one of them to be Bobby from cabin nine, two campers from Ares' cabin, and two more from Athena's. They were all wearing heavy Greek battle armor and had swords and spears drawn.

After quickly taking aim, Jesse let loose an arrow and quickly drew another. By the time the first arrow smacked Bobby in the forehead, knocking him out, the second arrow was flying towards another camper. Three arrows later, the campers were retreating to some cover behind the trees, unable to locate the archer. As they fled, Jesse shifted his gaze to the rest of the boundary line.

For the next fifteen minutes, Jesse spotted and shot at any enemy camper that attempted to pass his wall of arrows. Very few were able to pass him, and those who did were quickly taken out by Henry and his fellow defenders. Jesse actually stopped firing at one point to watch Henry cause the water to rise out of the river and crash into the invaders.

After seeing several of his soldiers stopped, the co-captain, Peter, shifted his strategy. He had the campers hide behind a cluster of rocks and fire arrows towards Jesse. Most of the arrows didn't go anywhere near him thanks to his invisibility, but one arrow, probably shot by Peter himself, struck Jesse cruelly in the arm, causing it to go numb.

Rubbing his shoulder, Jesse reached down and opened his bag. He pulled out a small, round package with Noah's signature on it. Easily, Jesse chucked it and heard it land behind the group of rocks. After three seconds a thin gas rose from behind the rocks, causing the campers there to cough and run away from the disgusting fumes. As the campers left their cover, Jesse quickly shot at them, at one point shooting two arrows at a time to take them out.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jesse noticed a figure flying towards him. After taking a second to make sure that there were no more enemies in the area, he let himself relax, and took off his hat.

"There you are." Charlie said as he landed on a branch. The fluttering wings on the sides of his shoes seemed exhausted, as if they had been well used recently. "We need you to help us on offense, half of Ares cabin is playing defense and we're having some serious problems overtaking them."

Jesse nodded and unstrung his bow. "Sure thing, I'm running out of arrows though."

"Damn. Well, if worst comes to worst, you can use this." Charlie said, pulling a sword out of his magic backpack. Jesse took it and put his bow and hat in his duffle bag. "Grab on." Charlie said, offering his hand. When Jesse took it Charlie jumped off the branch and lowered them down to the ground.

When they touched down, Charlie lead Jesse through the woods, trying to find the enemy camp. When they were halfway there, Charlie was tackled from the side by two campers from Dionysius's cabin. Knowing that an attack would be coming his way, Jesse spun around, sword ready, just in time to block a sword stroke from a camper from cabin five.

Jesse pushed the blade away and kicked the camper in the chest, knocking him into a tree. Before he could get up, Jesse smacked the flat of his blade against the campers helmet, putting him a daze. Jesse turned and pulled one of the campers off of Charlie, while the son of Hermes flipped his opponent over his shoulder.

"You good?" Jesse asked, Charlie nodded, and they continued running. After running for a few minutes, a loud roar sounded, echoing through the forest.

"What the hell was that?" Jesse asked, skidding to a halt.

"I'm not sure," Charlie said, stopping as well. "But whatever it was, it's close." Another roar was heard, this time even closer. "You go on ahead, I'll take care of it." Charlie said, spinning his sword in his hand.

"You sure?" Jesse asked.

"Yeah, just keep going this way and you'll get there in a few minutes." Charlie said, "Now get going."

Jesse nodded and started sprinting as the sound of something huge got even closer. He followed Charlie's orders, running as fast as he could in the same direction until he found a large cliff, scattered with caves. He looked up to the top and saw several campers fighting by one of the largest caves. Jesse spotted a small path that led up the steep cliff and started climbing, stringing his bow as he ran.

As he got closer he was able to tell what exactly was going on. It seemed that the defenders, mostly from Ares cabin, were in phalanx formation, the same strategy the Spartans used, and were keeping Andrew and the other attackers at bay. Jesse's keen eyes spotted several holes in the defense and readied an arrow. He let it fly and watched the arrow go through a tiny space between two shields, heard a shout of pain and surprise, and saw a camper fall over, causing the phalanx to collapse.

"Thanks Jesse!" Andrew shouted, having spotted him earlier, "Lets get that flag!" He and his men pressed forward and started attacking the campers one on one. Knowing that time was of the essence, Jesse clamped his bow between his teeth and, rather than running the path, took a shortcut, climbing up the cliff with his hands and feet.

He sped through the treacherous climb and pulled himself up to Andrew's level. Immediately, he had to roll out of the way of an attack from a camper, and move between the fighting Heroes. A punch meant for a camper from Noah's cabin connected with Jesse's chin, knocking him backwards.

Putting his bow down, Jesse ran forward, tackling the camper who hit him. The two campers rolled around on the ground, trying to get the edge on the other until one of Charlie's cabin mates pulled Jesse's opponent off of him and knocked him out with a punch to the face.

Jesse pulled himself to his feet in time to see Jacob, the head of Ares' cabin, out-duel a son of Hermes. Laughing, Jacob raised his sword and charged towards Andrew, who was fighting Derek, sword vs. staff. Andrew noticed it to, and he turned, ready to fight them both. As the son of Zeus fought the two campers, wielding only his staff, Jesse pulled Charlie's hat out of his bag and put it on.

Knowing he was invisible, Jesse made his way into the cave where the flag was hidden. He wrapped his hands around the flag pole and lifted it up. He took a breath and turned around, ready to sneak out of the cave without being noticed.

Immediately, a kid from Athena's cabin shouted something about the flag, and all eyes turned to Jesse. Confused, Jesse looked down at his feet, which he could now see. Realizing that a spell must have been cast on the flag, Jesse held the flag out in front of him and ran for it.

Andrew took his opponents distraction to his advantage and slammed his open hand into Jacob's chest. Jesse heard something that sounded like a thunderclap, and saw Jacob go flying backwards, with sparks of electricity dancing around his armor.

Jesse snapped back to reality and ducked under a punch, and jammed the bottom of the flagpole into the gut of a camper he didn't know. Jesse kicked the camper out of the way and started running to the edge of the cliff.

As fast as he could, Jesse started sprinting down the side of the cliff, not bothering to take the path. Pure adrenaline kept him from tripping or slowing down. He was vaguely aware of arrows whizzing past him and the shouts of encouragement from his teammates behind him.

Once the ground leveled out, Jesse picked up speed, zigzagging around trees in order to avoid the arrows. When he was almost at the boundary line, he heard a loud roar, and a cry of pain. Jesse had completely forgotten about Charlie and the mysterious noise that had separated them. Forgetting about the game, Jesse turned right and ran off towards the noise.

He found the source in a small patch of grass surrounded by trees. He saw Charlie sitting against a tree, blood covering his chest. His sword lying on the ground next to him. Standing over him was what Jesse would soon learn to be a hellhound. The size of a bear, the monster had jaws that could crush steel and claws that could shred armor.

"Jesse!" Charlie said weakly, spotting his friend. "Get out of here!" At the same time, the hellhound smelled Jesse and turned around. Drool dripping from its jaws, the monster leapt forward, swiping a claw at Jesse.

Jesse dove to the side, dropping the flag and drawing his sword as he did so, and stabbed down on the monstrous paw. The blade sunk into the monster, causing it to roar in pain. It used its other paw to smash Jesse in the chest, sending him into a tree. The force of the blow made Jesse see stars. Tasting blood, he struggled to his feet and pulled out his bow. He felt his quiver as the hellhound pulled the sword from his paw with his teeth and snap it in half.

"Three left," Jesse counted, "How am I supposed to kill this thing with three blunt arrows?" He wasn't given anymore time to think, the hellhound leapt forward, snapping at Jesse's head. Jesse jumped up and grabbed an overhanging tree branch. Jesse jumped from branch to branch, trying to avoid the jaws of the hellhound.

Once he decided he was at a safe height, Jesse drew an arrow and fired. The arrow hit the beast just below the eye. Enraged, the monster started to slam itself into the tree, just as Jesse started to prepare another arrow. When the hellhound smashed into the tree, the trunk shattered, causing it to topple over, sending Jesse off the top of the tree, landing on the ground.

Jesse struggled to his feet and checked his quiver, not only had the quiver broken, but both of his remaining arrows had snapped. Tossing the broken quiver aside, Jesse faced the hellhound, which was preparing itself to attack again.

As the monster started its charge, Jesse felt something grow warm on his back. Not taking his eyes off the creature, Jesse reached around and felt his duffle bag changing shape. It became a long cylinder, engraved with words written in ancient Greek, that Jesse could not translate at the time.

It was a quiver.

With the monster coming closer, Jesse reached into the quiver, pulled out the first arrow that he touched and pulled it back on the bow. Just before the hellhound pounced down on him, Jesse fired the arrow.

As the arrow burrowed into the monsters chest, there was an explosion, throwing Jesse back a good ten feet. The creature exploded into sand, the dark material coating the nearby trees. Jesse struggled to his feet, feeling blood travel from his lips, down to his neck.

"Are you alright?" It was Chiron. A throng of campers had gathered by the end of the fight. Chiron had his bow ready, as if he too was about to enter the fight.

Unable to talk, Jesse simply nodded.

"No way…" Charlie muttered. The other campers gasped and started staring at something above Jesse's head. Jesse looked up and saw a glowing light hovering above him. The light was in the shape of the sun, with a bow lying over it.

"He has been determined," Chiron said. "Jesse Cantor, son of Apollo, the light bringer."


	7. Chapter 7

Blue team had been declared the winner of the match, Chiron said that if the monster hadn't appeared, Jesse would have easily made it to the boundary line to win anyway. Once the match officially ended, the Yankees cap that Charlie lent Jesse started working again. He hadn't stopped to realize why he wasn't invisible during his fight with the hellhound, he was to busy trying not to get killed. They decided that the flag's charm must have lasted longer even when the flag wasn't touching him.

As soon as the campers returned to the cabins, Jesse's things were moved to cabin four, Apollo's cabin. The cabin was two stories high, with a loft looking out to the whole camp. It was colored gold and had plush furniture all throughout the house. But Jesse didn't have time to enjoy his cabin, Chiron had called a meeting for all the senior campers, and him.

Jesse entered Chiron's office while the others were already deep in conversation.

"Well, he'll obviously need to be watched 24/7." Charlie was saying.

"That may be true Charlie, but what we really need to worry about is how a monster of that magnitude entered the camp." Andrew said. "It nearly killed you both!"

"Jesse, please come in." Chiron interrupted the conversation to welcome Jesse. Nodding, Jesse took a seat next to Henry.

"Well, I suppose we should fill you in. But first, I offer you my congratulations. Your father has claimed you, and that is a great honor." Chiron said.

"But that doesn't mean it's good news." Charlie said, drawing all eyes towards him. "Jesse, I'm sorry but for the past few years, any child of Apollo has been murdered. That's why you're the only one in your cabin."

Jesse took a moment to process this. "Why? It's not like I'm a child of Zeus, Poseidon or Hades. Who would want me dead?"

"That's a good question, and I'm afraid that we don't have an answer yet." Chiron said. "But it does concern the prophecy. And the interesting dream you had a week ago."

"You see Jesse, when you described your dream to me, you said that you saw someone." Chiron continued, "The boy you described, his name was Oliver. He was the last known son of Apollo, besides you of course."

"He was killed three years ago, defending the camp from an onslaught of monsters." Henry said, "But when the monsters were killed, and Oliver was dying, Apollo…he preserved Oliver."

"What does that mean?" Jesse asked.

"He isn't alive, he's more like a vessel that Apollo uses for prophecies." Chiron said. "He's kept inside the temple, and when it's time for a prophecy, Oliver enters the dreams of a camper to alert us."

Jesse frowned, "And he entered my dream…"

"Yes," Chiron said, "I think its time for you to meet your brother."

***

Jesse stood inside the temple, standing at the feet of Apollo's statue. Apollo seemed be looking down at him, as if evaluating him. Jesse looked at his father for a long time before finally climbing the ladder hidden behind the statue. The ladder led to a wooden trap door that opened upwards. Jesse pushed it open and climbed through the hole in the ceiling.

The room was dark and covered in dust. Coughing, Jesse felt around for a light switch, found one and flipped it up, filling the room with light. The best way to describe the room, in Jesse's opinion, was to say that it was a college dorm room. Clothes scattered the floor, posters covered the wall, but one thing threw off the comparison. It looked like no one had lived there for years.

Jesse looked at some of the pictures that hung on the wall. One of them was of Oliver, not the serious and ominous Oliver Jesse had seen in his dream. He seemed happy. He had his arm over the shoulders of a younger Henry. Henry was holding a flag over his head, as if they had just won a match of Capture the Flag. Other pictures showed Oliver at the archery range, with other campers, or with Chiron.

But one picture captivated Jesse. Again, it was of Oliver, but he wasn't alone. He was standing in front of Apollo's cabin with four other kids. Two boys and two girls. Jesse ran a hand over the photograph of the campers, his brothers and sisters. Had they known that they were going to be murdered? Could people really be so happy when death is so nearby? Jesse shook his head, wondering what awaited his future.

"Hello Jesse."

Jesse spun around and looked for the source of the familiar voice. For some reason, he hadn't noticed the large armchair sitting in the corner of the room. Like everything else, it was covered with dust, and sitting on the chair, was Oliver.

But this was not the Oliver he saw in his dreams. He had gashes and cuts all over his face and neck. His nose was smashed inward and one of his ears was missing. His left arm was snapped between the elbow and wrist.

"I'm glad you came, I was worried you wouldn't survive long enough for us to meet." Oliver said. Jesse shivered, Oliver's voice was flat, lacking emotion. What scared Jesse even more was that it seemed that rather that the words coming out of Oliver's mouth, they seemed to emanate from Oliver himself.

"Chiron said you have a prophecy for us." Jesse said, trying not to freak out.

"Yes," The voice said. "I have had this prophecy for many years, and I have only shared it once. But it is time for it to be made public." Suddenly, the room grew ice-cold and Oliver spoke. This is how Jesse heard it.

"Two of the three will go

To find the third unknown

With them will be four.

This is your quest Hero, listen and study our lore.

Sons of Light, Fire and the Seas

War, Skies and the Thieves.

Each of their talents will be needed

In order to stop the ones who almost succeeded.

Many monsters you will face

As the shadows continue their chase

Servants of a foe not yet dead

They stand in the way of the path you tread

After six is eight, and eight is six

The son of the son must wade into the Styx

And face the foe with head held high

Waist deep in the waters that keep you dry

He must stand tall and declare his name

Or else all that was done will be in vain.

The strength of his father, he will control

When the final strike takes its toll

And the power that he shall bring

Will cause the victory bells to ring

But even though the shadows will recede

The war will still proceed.

But beware, you will be betrayed by a friend

He will show his true motive by the journey's end

He will become the enemy's right hand

Unless he too, is turned into sand."

Jesse stood before his brother in shock, trying to figure out the prophecy. Somehow, he could replay the entire poem in his head, and he knew that he would remember it forever.

"Before you go, brother," Oliver said, "You will be receiving a gift from our father, by way of our uncle. Consider yourself blessed."

Jesse nodded, "Alright, anything else I should know?"

"Only this," The voice said. "The ones who betray you, will be those who are trusted the most."

***

Quite some time passed before Jesse returned from Oliver's loft. When he entered Chiron's home, the centaur and the campers inside were in a heated discussion, but fell silent when Jesse entered.

"Well?" Henry asked, "Did you hear the prophecy?"

Jessed nodded slowly and tossed Henry the pad of paper he wrote the prophecy on while walking to the office. The others listened intently, absorbed in what Henry was reading aloud. When he finished, Chiron clicked his tongue, slightly confused.

"I have heard this before, but it was but a part of another prophecy." He said. "It seems that this is the first chapter of the new age of the gods. Come Jesse, sit down so we can discuss this."

"No," Henry interjected. Everyone in the room stared at the son of Poseidon. "Jesse just went through an unsettling process. Anyone that has received a prophecy from Oliver can relate. And in case you've all forgotten, he was nearly killed by a hellhound two hours ago.

"C'mon, I'll walk you to your cabin." Henry said. "You guys get started without me." He said to the others. Not waiting for a response, he took Jesse's shoulder and brought him outside.

They walked in silence for a few minutes before stopping in front of the lake. Jesse waited silence as Henry skipped stones over the surface of the water.

"What happened to them?" Jesse finally asked.

"Hmm?"

"The other sons and daughters of Apollo." Jesse said, "My siblings I guess."

Henry skipped another rock. "Well, there was Tracy. Someone drowned her in the lake. We think a monster broke through the barrier. She was fifteen. Kind of a bitch though." Henry said with a laugh. "Thomas and David were great though. They only had one parent in common, but you'd think they were twins. After Tracy died they went off to get revenge. Tom died first, and David brought him back. He died after a couple hours too, stabbed by a poisoned knife or something."

"And then there was Karen." Henry said. "We actually, uh, dated I guess. She died a couple months before Oliver. We don't know what happened or who did it. She just… died."

"And Oliver?" Jesse asked.

"One night, an entire army of monsters attacked us. Oliver and I faced them alone." Henry stopped talking, either unwilling to, or unable. They stood in silence for a while.

"Oliver was my best friend, you know." He finally said.

Jesse nodded, "I saw a picture of the two of you in his room."

Henry grinned, "Yeah, I have that picture too. Oliver was the one who brought me to camp." Jesse's eyes widened. It was strange for him to think of Henry being anywhere besides camp.

"If you think your rescue was messy, you've got a lot to learn, no offense." Henry said. "I had been chased for three days straight. I didn't know anything about the gods, or even monsters. Just one day I came home and my dad, the man I thought was my dad at least, was dead. Before I could even call the cops I was attacked by a horde of Lestrygonians. You know what those are?"

Jesse nodded, remembering the giants in the tale of Odysseus.

"Well they gave chase for a while. And after a few days they finally caught up to me. And as soon as I thought I was going to die, Oliver just…appeared." Henry said.

"I'm eighteen years old. Over the past five years I've killed hundreds of monsters. I'm the strongest mortal son of Poseidon in the last century, and one of the strongest ever. I can control water at will, and I've even caused earthquakes. After Andrew, I'm the strongest known demigod alive. " Henry told Jesse. "I'm not saying this to brag. I'm saying this so you can fully understand what I mean when I say that Oliver made me look like a child holding a stick."

Jesse nodded, "And he beat all of them?"

Henry smiled, "He killed their leader so quickly, and so brutally that the rest of them ran off. I didn't even see him chase them. One second he was standing over the sand of the first monster, then the next instant he was standing on one of their shoulders. I was so scared of him I ran away too." Henry said with a laugh. "But Oliver stopped me. He was covered in blood, probably none of it was his, but he seemed perfectly calm. He just told me that he was there to help me, and that nothing like that would happen to me."

"And he brought you here." Jesse said.

Henry nodded, "What I'm trying to say is, I know how you feel right now. I'm the son of a god who swore never to have another child. And every child of your father has been killed. And when I joined the camp and found myself surrounded by death, prophecies and all that bullshit, all I wanted was a nap."

For some reason, that was it for Jesse. Against every fiber of his will, he broke down. Without a word Henry pulled him in and let Jesse cry on his shoulder. Jesse wasn't sure if his mother's death was making him cry, or if it was his destiny to die like his siblings. Or maybe it was the pure insanity that was his life. All that mattered to him was that someone understood.

***

Jesse remained in his cabin for a few hours, mostly sleeping and staring at his quiver that had once been a duffel bag. Just as he started reading the runes written on the quiver, he heard a 'click' and the sound of his cabin's door opening.

Jesse rolled out of bed to see who had entered. From his perch in the second floor he saw someone who he never met before, but for some reason, he looked very familiar. "Can I help you?" He asked.

A man looked up at him, as if acknowledging Jesse was there, and continued looking around the cabin. He seemed to be in his forties, and had salt and pepper colored hair.

"My brother always knew how to host a guest." He said with a low whistle.

"Your brother?" Jesse asked, sliding down the ladder to join the man.

"My brother, your father." The man said, waving his hand around absent-mindedly. "Sorry about breaking in," he said, "But you weren't answering." He showed Jesse a small knife, witch Jesse assumed the man had used to get inside.

Jesse jumped slightly when he realized that the man was implying that he was a god. He quickly lowered his head in deference. "Sorry sir, I didn't realize-"

"Forget it," The man said, "I'm not on my throne so there's no need for that." He continued while Jesse raised his head, "Anyway, I'm here on strictly professional business." He fished something out of his pocket and pulled out a closed fist.

"A gift from your father." He said, opening his hand. Resting in his palm was what looked like a miniature bow.

Jesse took it and held it between his thumb and index finger. "Is this supposed to be a weapon?" He asked.

The man laughed, "Right, I almost forgot." He pulled a piece of paper from his pocket it and read it out loud. "Hermes, tell Jesse that the bow will expand when it is touched by significant heat. Signed, A."

Jesse looked at the bow curiously then pocketed it, deciding to practice with it later. Then he realized something. "That's why thought you looked familiar, you look just like Charlie!"

Hermes smiled and nodded, "That's right. Well I'd better get going, good luck on your quest."

"Wait," Jesse said, "Your not going to see Charlie?"

Hermes shook his head. "I think that would be the last thing Charlie would need right now." The god sighed softly, "See you around." The god started glowing with a golden light, and Jesse turned away. There was a small pop, and his uncle was gone.


	8. Chapter 8

Author's note: Hey guys, wingfoot here. In case you didn't notice, I've changed one of the categories from mystery to romance. In due time a new character will be introduced and it'll all make sense. Hope you enjoy the next chapter. Peace.

Jesse had rounded up Chiron, Henry, Andrew and Mr. D and brought them all to Chiron's office. The centaur was happy to see that Jesse was alright, but was obviously concerned about the prophecy.

"While you were gone, we have been discussing the prophecy, and we believe we have begun to crack this riddle." He said as soon as Jesse entered.

"First off," Henry said, "We should discuss who would come on this quest. The first two stanzas tell us the requirements, when Oliver said 'two of the three' it's pretty obvious that he's referring to myself and Andrew, two sons of the big three."

"He then goes on to say that the sons of Light, Fire, Seas, War, Skies and Thieves would go." Jesse said, still having the prophecy memorized, "So we would choose who applies to those categories?"

"Yup," Andrew said, "Henry and I have already talked about it and we believe we have a good idea of who to bring, but we wanted to make sure you agreed first. The only son of Light that we know of is you, so you're automatically in."

"Yay."

"Indeed. For the rest of the Heroes, I would suggest, Noah, Charlie and Derek." Andrew said, "Noah would be valuable to bring for supplies or weapon repairs, Charlie has experience, and is one of the strongest Heroes that this camp has ever seen, and Derek is a fucking tank, he can handle just about any monster that gets in our way, plus, I prefer him to Jacob."

Jesse nodded, "No complaints here."

"Good," Henry said, "Now, the last line of the second stanza tells us who exactly we're fighting: 'the ones who almost succeeded'. Chiron believes that it's about the Titans."

Jesse blinked in surprise, "Well that's a problem."

"Yes it's quite disturbing," Chiron said, "But I digress, it seems that the purpose is to find the third son of the three. The son of Hades."

A long silence ensued. Finally, Jesse broke it, "Where is he then?"

"If only we knew." Henry said, "No one knows his name or what he looks like. Chiron however, knows for a fact that he exists, but he refuses to tell us how he knows." In response, Chiron only shrugged and gave a small smile. "Anyway, our best bet would be to go to Hades, the place, and hope that he's home."

"We're going to Hell?" Jesse asked, "Has anyone ever gone there and made it back?"

"A couple Heroes," Andrew said, "Heracles, Orpheious and Houdini, to name a few."

"Fine, now lets talk about the rest of the prophecy," Jesse said, "What about the part that says six will be eight, and eight will be six, that sounds bad."

"I agree," Chiron said, "The first part must mean the son of Hades and another joining the group, then when eight becomes six…"

"Two people might die, or be lost." Henry said, "Which actually might be ok based on the last part of the poem, about the betrayer."

"Yeah, what's up with that?" Jesse asked, "Does this mean that one of us will be a traitor?"

"Perhaps," The centaur said, "Or it could mean that someone who claims to support you has ill-intentions. But I am not sure."

"Well I refuse to believe that any of the people we've chosen would betray us." Andrew said, "I've known them for years."

"Well the only one we don't know would be the son of Hades and whoever would join." Jesse said.

"Well we have two prime suspects then." Henry said.

***

"Camp Half-Blood!" Henry shouted, "We have a new quest!"

Cheers echoed through the building. The plates and goblets fell off the dinner tables due to the earthquake of applause. Henry raised his hands, asking for silence. Three days had passed since Jesse had heard the prophecy. He had informed the other Heroes chosen to accompany him of the quest, and they had agreed excitedly. They spent those days training and planning their trip. Jesse had begun to learn and master his new abilities, granted to him by the knowledge of his father.

"We can't give the details now, but we will be gone for a long time, and I expect the older campers that remain to keep a close eye on camp."

Jesse, Henry, Andrew, Noah, Derek and Charlie were standing before the entire camp, their backs were to the door, which was why they didn't see Jacob enter the cafeteria. The seated campers gasped and pointed at the son of Ares, making the others turn around.

Jacob was covered in blood, some of it his own, and was holding his sword in one hand, and the unconscious body of Bobby from cabin nine in the other. "We're under attack." He managed to say, before coughing blood and collapsing.

There was a moment of silence, everyone stared at the two downed Heroes. Henry broke the silence. "SWORDS!!!"

At the same time, monstrous battle cries sounded from outside. In response the campers stood and shouted battle cries, drawing their weapons.

"Younger campers out the back!" Chiron shouted, "Andrew, you're in charge while I escort them!" The centaur drew a gigantic bow and burst through the back door, the younger campers following him, holding daggers ready.

During the commotion, Jesse had hopped onto one of the tables, jumped up, grabbed a banister and climbed until he reached the ceiling. He placed his palm on the wooden roof and closed his eyes. He willed his hand to glow white-hot, causing a small section of the ceiling to burn, making a large enough hole for him to pull himself through.

Once he was on the roof, Jesse pulled his tiny bow out from behind his ear, he formed a tiny ball of heat between his fingers, making the bow grow rapidly. Within seconds, a long, golden bow was in Jesse's grasp. It reached from Jesse's feet to above his head. Holding it ready, Jesse looked around, even in the pouring rain, he could make out the shapes of the monsters, prowling throughout the camp, searching for campers.

With a snap of his fingers, the entire camp became bright, as if the sun had risen in the middle of the night. He could see hellhounds, giant snakes, giants, skeletons, almost any monster imaginable was attacking the camp. He reached into his quiver. Upon inspection of the quiver, Jesse had realized that it contained several types of arrows, although it would seem empty when he wasn't in true need of an arrow. Somehow, he was always able to draw the exact type of arrow that he needed, without searching for it.

Jesse drew an arrow and put it to his bow. As he pulled it back, Andrew led the charge of campers out of the cafeteria and towards the monsters, weapons drawn. As the campers charged, Jesse fired his arrow, causing a giant bat to explode into a burst of sand. Not wanting to risk hitting the other campers, Jesse switched to regular Celestial Bronze arrows, and continued firing.

As Jesse peppered the monsters with arrows, Noah activated his war-hammers and easily killed a small dragon with a blow to the head. He ducked under a skeleton's sword and set it aflame with an open palm strike.

A bit to the left of Noah was Charlie and Derek, the two best swordsmen in camp. They stood back to back, using openings that the other would make in order to kill the monsters. Seeing a camper in trouble, Charlie threw his sword into the air and dashed off. Derek caught the blade, spun it in his left hand and continued fighting. Charlie sprinted off, used a wounded hellhound as a springboard and jumped on top of some sort of bear-like monster that Jesse didn't recognize.

With one swift motion, Charlie placed his hands on the bear's chin and the back of its head and twisted. The monster's neck snapped loudly, and as it crumbled into dust, Charlie ran back into the battle.

Having no water nearby to use, Henry was using his other talents to fight. After killing a giant snake with a stomp to the head, Henry stabbed a Cyclops through the chest by somehow stretching his trident an impossible length.

Jesse saw Andrew, who was the only camper to wield a seemingly non-lethal weapon, completely surrounded by various creatures. Using his staff, he continuously battered any monster that got too close. Just as it seemed like he was going to be overpowered, Andrew let out a charge of electricity that instantly turned the monsters into dust.

Jesse kept firing, scanning the field to kill any monsters that were overpowering the camper or campers they were fighting. As Jesse's deadly rain of arrows swept the field, the archer looked left and saw a terrible sight. Chiron was standing in front of a line of campers, firing endlessly at the monsters flying above them. What Chiron was too distracted to see was a giant Minotaur lumbering over, ready to take a swing at the campers with its scythe.

"Charlie!" Jesse shouted and opened fire at the creature. Charlie looked up and followed Jesse's gaze, when he saw the monster he jumped into the air, activating his winged shoes and flew towards the frightened campers. The Minotaur was able to block most of Jesse's arrows, and those that connected didn't seem to do any harm. The son of Apollo couldn't risk using his more dangerous arrows, in fear of hurting the kids.

It only took Charlie a few seconds to reach the Minotaur, and he skidded to a halt between the monster and its prey. Jesse watched as Charlie faced off with the Minotaur, unarmed. Jesse lowered his bow in awe as the two stared each other down. A sudden cold wind swept through the camp.

With a loud shout, the Minotaur swung at the son of Hermes with its scythe. Charlie jumped backwards, barely dodging the attack. He shouted something that Jesse couldn't hear over the noise of battle. On command, one of the campers Charlie was protecting tossed the older boy two daggers. Without looking, Charlie caught both weapons and charged at the monster.

Ducking under another swing, Charlie drove one of the daggers into the monster's foot, making it roar in pain. The hero jumped up to slice the throat of the Minotaur, but was knocked aside by a swipe of its hand. Charlie landed on the ground and lay still.

Fearing the worst, Jesse pulled an arrow from his quiver and pulled back the bowstring to fire. Just as he loosed the arrow he was tackled from the side by a monster that he could only describe as 'it looked like a cat with eagle claws'. As he struggled to escape from the monster's grip, Jesse watched helplessly as his misfired arrow headed straight towards the young campers.

Quicker than anything Jesse had seen before, Charlie rolled out of the way of the scythe and jumped to his feet, right in the path of Jesse's arrow. Catching it with his right hand, Charlie spun around and leapt towards the Minotaur. The hero stabbed forward with the arrow, lodging it into the monsters eye.

Screaming in agony, the Minotaur fell on its back, writhing in pain. Standing on the monsters chest, Charlie lifted his foot and stomped on the arrow, driving it deeper into its skull, killing the beast.

Charlie stayed there for a second and looked around, "Jesse! It's time for us to go!" Jesse finally got on top of the cat monster and cut its throat with a dagger. Wiping the dark sand from his blade on his jeans, he looked around. The battle seemed to be ending anyway, and he knew that this sudden attack was obviously an attempt to stop them from departing. The longer they stayed, the more danger the camp would be in. It was time to leave.

"Lets go!" Jesse shouted, he reached into his quiver and pulled out a long blue arrow. He clipped the end of the arrow to his bow string and fired. The end of the arrow remained on the bow, while the rest flew off and imbedded itself into a tree, leaving a long cable connecting the two parts. Jesse removed the end that remained and pulled it fiercely, causing the rope to retract, pulling him off the roof and towards the tree.

Once he was low enough to avoid harming himself upon impact, Jesse let go of the rope and dropped to the ground. He drew an arrow and fired at a Cyclops that was engaged in battle with Derek. Jesse smirked as the monster crumbled into nothing. "We're leaving!" he told the warrior. Derek nodded and dashed off towards Noah to inform him of their departure.

Within moments, the Heroes taking part in the quest made their way to the forest, fighting monsters as they went. By the time they reached the woods, most of the monsters had been killed, and the battle looked just about over.

"Good luck Heroes!" Chiron called, waving to the departing Heroes after shooting down a demon bat. Shouts of "goodbye" and "good luck" sounded from the mass of wounded campers. Jesse turned and waved to his friends as Henry whistled sharply between his teeth.

A chorus of whinnies echoed through the forest and six Pegasus horses flew towards them. The horses swooped down and landed softly on the ground. Henry took the lead horse and whispered an order to his pet. Jesse remembered that Poseidon created horses, giving Henry the ability to speak to them. Jesse pulled out his bow and fired another arrow at one of the remaining monsters in the field as he jumped onto the horse's back.

He and Henry took off as the others climbed onto their own steeds. The two heroes flew over the camp, making sure there were no monsters hiding in the forest. Once they were satisfied with the camp's safety, they flew back to their companions who were hovering above the forest waiting for them.

"All right guys," Henry said, "We're heading South by South West. Jesse will be at point, producing a beam of light ahead of him. Behind him is Andrew, who's in charge of keeping our direction." Andrew nodded, when in the sky he always had a perfect sense of direction. "Derek is next, we'll need him close enough to the front and the back in case of attack. Next is Noah, you're carrying our supplies and extra weapons, so it's up to you to provide them when needed. Charlie, you're behind Noah, I want you watching our tail with me. Any questions?"

There were none.

"Now I know that what just happened was scary, but I assure you, that attack occurred because we were there." Henry said, "Now that we're leaving, the camp will be much safer. But I need you all to focus on our mission, camp will still be there when we get back." He looked pointedly at Charlie, who was looking nervously at the camp.

"Ok, Jesse, lights out." Henry said. Jesse nodded and mentally caused the bright light he created over the camp to disappear. The Heroes took their assigned positions and flew off, a thin beam of light coming from Jesse leading their way.


	9. Chapter 9

They flew in a line for hours without break. Jesse found himself barely able to focus enough to keep the beams of light shining from his eyes. As his eyes started to droop, Jesse saw something fly through the light in front of him. Suddenly wide awake, Jesse tried to spot it again, but to no avail.

"Hey Andrew." He whispered.

"Hmm?"

"Wake up, I think I saw something." Jesse said. "There it is again!" Now many blurs were fluttering around the light, but not close enough for the heroes to be able to identify them.

"When I say so, light this place up so we can see what's over there." Andrew said, gripping his staff. Andrew turned and whispered something to Derek, who flew back to inform Henry. "Ok…NOW!" Andrew shouted.

Jesse blinked, shutting the lights off from his eyes and lighting up the area of sky for the heroes. Now able to see, the teenagers saw that they were surrounded by a gigantic flock of metallic birds.

"STYMPHALIAN BIRDS!" Jesse shouted when the scene registered into his mind. There was a loud crack from behind the son of Apollo when Andrew fired a bolt of lightning from his staff, striking a bird and electrifying any of the birds close to it.

"I thought you killed these things!" Derek shouted at Noah, drawing his sword hilt and summoning the blade.

"Yeah, so did I." Noah said, "Let's discuss that later, shall-" Noah couldn't finish the sentence. A bird swooped down and struck the son of Hephaestus in the face, clawing at his eyes. Noah grabbed the bird by it's neck, pulled it off of him before the monster could do any more damage, and crushed it with a single squeeze of his hand. "We have to land! There's no way we can keep going if these guys are following us!"

"I'd love to!" Henry said, skewering another bird with his trident. "But they have us surrounded. Any ideas Charlie?"

The son of Hermes had his sword drawn, the blade already covered oil from the birds he killed, "Didn't Heracles find out that these things are sensitive to loud noises?" He killed another bird with a swipe of his sword as he reached into his backpack. When he pulled his hand out of his bag, Jesse saw that Charlie was clutching a handful of firecrackers. "Noah!" Charlie shouted and tossed his friend the fireworks.

Noah caught them and grinned. "Didn't I make these for your birthday?"

"Yeah, that's how I know they'll work!" Charlie shouted back. Ducking under a bird, Noah snapped his fingers, causing a small flame to appear on the tip of his thumb. He placed the flame at the fuse of each rocket and aimed them each at different parts of the swarm of birds. There were loud explosions, high-pitched whistles and just about every obnoxious sound possible.

The birds screeched in terror, unable to stand the noise, and started to go haywire. Some of them dropped dead right away, while others started to attack each other, or fly around in circles uselessly.

"Ok! It's time to land!" Henry shouted, "They won't be like this for long!" As Henry steered his Pegasus to dip down, one of the few birds that still had control of itself dove down and bit down on the horse's throat. The dying horse dropped instantly, falling to the ground, crashing into several trees before landing harshly on the ground.

"HENRY!!" Jesse shouted. He turned his Pegasus around and flew towards the ground, slashing several birds apart with his sword has he went. Before his steed even reached the ground Jesse had jumped off and landed softly in the dirt next to Henry. He knelt down next to his friend and checked for injuries. He didn't need to look hard.

The left side of Henry's neck was slashed open, dangerously close to his jugular vein. Blood was pouring out of Henry's mouth, making Jesse think that the son of the sea god had broken a few ribs. Jesse pulled off his shirt and pressed it against Henry's neck, trying to stop the flow of blood. As he worked, he heard five Pegasus horses land on the ground behind him.

"Shit!" Andrew said, "Is he all right?"

"No he's not all right!" Jesse shouted, "Form a circle around us in case those birds come back, and someone get me some ambrosia!" While the other heroes formed a circle of protection around him, Jesse couldn't help but think of the prophecy. Would Henry be one of the Heroes that would die?

"No. Well, not yet at least."

Jesse snapped up, looking around to see who answered his unspoken question. He looked to Charlie, but the Hero seemed to be frozen in place, stabbing one of the birds. The other Heroes were frozen as well. Jesse looked down at Henry and saw that he too wasn't moving, even his blood seemed frozen in place, a few drops suspended in the air under his chin.

"You see," The voice said, "Henry has his own destiny written out, a complicated and tragic one to say the least. But to answer your question, no, you won't lose him yet."

"Where are you?" Jesse shouted, standing up.

"I'm right here, relax." The voice said. Jesse looked up and saw Oliver sitting on the branch of a tree. He dropped down and surveyed the scene for a moment. "Hell of a thing, isn't it? Noah killed these buggers off a week ago, and here they are again."

Jesse said nothing, he was too confused. The Oliver he knew was not as relaxed as the one he was seeing. He was also used to seeing his half-brother as a zombie, but the one standing before him seemed very much alive, with no injuries to speak of, once again wearing the pin-striped suit.

Oliver stood in front of Charlie for a moment and chuckled a bit before moving on. "Anyway, I'm here to help you save your friend."

"You knew this would happen?" Jesse asked, even more confused.

"Uh…Yeah." Oliver said, sounding impatient. "Our father is the god of prophecy, I'm surprised that you didn't see this coming too." Oliver said. "In case you didn't know, our father is also the god of medicine and healing."

Jesse thought for a moment, "You're saying I can heal him?"

Oliver only nodded.

"Are you going to tell me how?"

"The Sun gives more life than it takes Jesse." Oliver said, "The sooner you realize that, the more likely you'll survive this prophecy." Oliver turned to leave.

"Wait!" Jesse shouted, "If I can heal people, can I prevent everyone from dying in the prophecy?"

Oliver turned back around and looked at Jesse sympathetically, "You seem to misunderstand our father's technique in prophesizing. I used to as well. He's an optimist. The prophecy he gave me will only come true if everything goes right. It's the best case scenario."

"So you're saying that if we're lucky, only two of us will die?" Jesse asked, feeling a mix of rage and sorrow.

Oliver walked towards Jesse and placed his hands on his brother's bare shoulders. Jesse flinched at the touch, Oliver may have seemed real, but his hands felt dead cold against his bare skin. "You listen to me, because this is the most important lesson I can ever give you. I once met a man who answered all of my questions, and maybe one day you'll meet him too. He told me that someone out there wrote the story of what would happen. Not just what would happen to you or me. What would happen to the world. And unfortunately, some characters in that story get the shit end of the stick. They die. And it will seem unfair, and you'll think that it wasn't their time. But every death has rhyme and reason behind it. Including your mothers. Including your two friends who will die on this quest, and yeah, they're both here now. But this man, he told me that the reason why the story will come true in the end is because there will always be those who try to fight it."

Jesse stared at the prophet for a long moment before pushing Oliver's arms off of him and turning away. "In the next few days some things will be changing about you." Oliver said, adjusting his tie. "Your powers are going to grow, it'll scare you, but you'll have to live with it." Jesse didn't respond, busy trying to process what his brother had said. "By the way, the ambrosia is poisoned."

Jesse heard Oliver snap his fingers, and suddenly, noise and movement returned to the world. He realized that somehow he was back on his knees next to Henry.

"Jesse! I have the ambrosia!" It was Derek. Jesse didn't respond, still trying to regain his focus. "Jesse! Henry is dying, snap out of it!"

"Forget the ambrosia." Jesse said confidently. Derek looked at him skeptically, "Forget it!" Jesse shouted. The son of Ares reluctantly turned away and returned to the fight. Jesse rubbed his hands together, creating an intense heat between his palms.

"The sun gives more life than it takes." He muttered to himself. He placed two fingers on the edge of the cut on Henry's neck and slowly started tracing down to the other side of the wound. As his fingers progressed, Jesse could see the wound closing itself, leaving a long white scar. Once the cut on Henry's neck was healed, Jesse moved on to his friends chest.

Jesse tore open Henry's shirt and saw several lumps that must've been bone pushing against Henry's skin. Hoping he was doing the right thing, Jesse placed a hand on one of the lumps and push lightly against it. Immediately, the bone started moving back into place. Relieved, Jesse did this again for each broken bone until Henry had no more injuries. When he was done, Jesse fell to his side, exhausted. The last thing he asked himself before passing out was who would want to poison the ambrosia.

***

When Jesse woke up, he was no longer in the woods. He wasn't even outside. He sat up and looked around. He had been here before. It was the Museum of Natural History in New York. Jesse stood up and realized that he had been lying down in the middle of the museum's lobby. No one gave him weird looks for sleeping on the floor, or for not wearing a shirt, or for being covered in blood and oil. In fact, people didn't give him any looks at all. It was as if he wasn't there.

Having a feeling of what was going on, Jesse reached out and tried to touch an older woman's shoulder. To his surprise, his hand passed through the woman's body. He tried again, but had the same result. He even shouted nonsensical words, but no one noticed.

Unsure of what to do, Jesse looked around the lobby, trying to spot something that would give him a hint of why he was there. All around him was a crowd of people, all normal. There were families, field trips and some college students. The normal museum crowd.

Suddenly, a chill ran up Jesse's spine. A feeling of dread filled him, causing him to shiver as if someone had just cranked up the AC. Jesse spun around, trying to find what had caused the sensation. The feeling slowly started to grow weaker, as if it was draining out of Jesse's body. Not wanting to lose the only lead he had, Jesse tried to follow the source, walking away from the crowd and towards the dinosaur exhibit, where he believed the chill was emanating from.

There was only one person in the room, a young man who seemed to studying something that was written on a large pad of paper he was holding. Jesse got closer to the boy, the cold feeling increasing with each step. The source looked to be about Jesse's age. He had jet black hair covering his eyes, that might've been dyed and a dozen piercings on his face. Curious, Jesse took another step forward. As soon as he did, the teenager in front of him bristled and looked up. Jesse froze, worried that he had been spotted, then realized that it was impossible.

But impossible or not, the boy's piercing black eyes were staring straight at Jesse. "Who are you?"

Jesse turned around to see if the teenager was talking to someone behind him, but they were alone. "You talking to me?" He asked dumbly.

"Yes." was the simple response.

"Oh… I'm Jesse."

"Apollo's son?" The boy asked, standing up. "Do you know Andrew? And Henry?"

"Yeah, how do you know about us?" Jesse asked. "And how can you see me?"

"I know who you are because you're looking for me." He said. "I'm Mark, the son of Hades."


	10. Chapter 10

"Morning sunshine." Henry said as Jesse sat up, waking from his trance.

Jesse didn't respond at first, re-living his conversation with Mark. "You ok?" He asked, pointing at Henry's neck.

Henry shrugged, "Just a scar, one of many. What happened? You were knocked out for twenty minutes." He tossed Jesse a spare shirt.

"I was about to ask you the same thing." Jesse said, putting the shirt on and buttoning it. As he filled Henry in, Jesse considered telling his friend about Oliver's visit, but decided against it. The hints of the future that his brother gave him would bring up problems among the group. He did, however, tell Henry about Mark.

"What was he like?" Henry asked, curious about his cousin.

"He looked like a punk," Jesse said with a laugh, standing up.

"Who's a punk?" Noah asked. Jesse turned to see the son of Hephaestus arrive with the other heroes.

"Some of the birds got away," Andrew cut in, "Needless to say, we should use today to cover some ground while they recover, 'cause tomorrow it won't be safe to fly."

"That gives us plenty of time to get to D.C." Charlie said.

"No, we have to go back to New York." Jesse said. He quickly told the others about Mark.

"Well that sucks." Derek said, "I hate museums."

"Derek, you've never been anywhere near a museum that wasn't about fishing." Andrew said, making the other heroes, Derek included, laugh.

"I know that!" Derek said, "But for a farm boy from Montana, fishing museums were plenty interesting. These 'art' museums have nothing for me to do!"

An hour later, the six boys were landing softly on a conveniently vacant area of Central Park. It was odd for Jesse, being back home. For one, it made him miss his mother. But the other reason was that he hadn't been home since Andrew removed the Mist from his vision. As they left the park, Jesse spotted dozens of Nyades, Dryads and a few Satyrs.

"I've been meaning to ask," Jesse said, walking besides Andrew as they made their way towards the museum, "Why am I the only son of Apollo able to be part of the quest? I know that all of the ones at camp were killed, but what about the adults? How do we know the prophecy isn't about them?"

Andrew frowned, obviously not happy with the answer he had to give. "Well, there aren't any. Only the really powerful ones last over the age of thirty." He said, "And not just Apollo's kids, there are no half-blood adults left, those of Olympians at least. There are the children of minor gods around, but they don't give off enough of a scent to be in serious danger. We, however, are hunted by monsters all of our lives and if that doesn't kill you one of the gods you've pissed off in the past will. And trust me, you will piss of a few Olympians. Hera's already declared her hatred for me. Actually, she hates most heroes now that I think about it. It used to be that we'd last a bit longer, but nowadays we're dropping like flies. Billy Mayes was the last one of his generation if I remember right."

Jesse nodded, with an adulterating husband like Zeus, Jesse could understand why Hera would be upset. "So…we're cursed to a miserable existence that will eventually lead to a terrible death?"

"Well, yeah. But that doesn't mean we can't try our best to prove it wrong. Life is all about the fight." Andrew said.

Jesse grinned, remembering what Oliver had said to him in his trance.

"Anyway, the Elysian Fields should make it all worth while." Andrew continued.

Jesse knew from his lessons with Chiron that the Elysian Field was the part of Hades where the heroic would spend the rest of eternity. "Wonder what it's like." He said.

"Hopefully you won't have to find out for a while." Andrew said. "But in the meantime, it's time to meet the son of Hades." They had arrived at the museum.

Jesse shifted his sword that hung at his belt restlessly as they climbed the stairs. He felt awkward walking through the crowd with a sword at his belt, but knew that the Mist kept him disguised as a normal person. He couldn't help but wonder how much the Mist could hide. He was glad that he was able to keep his bow hidden at least. Charlie had come up with the idea to shrink it down and tape it to Jesse's forearm.

As soon as they entered the building, Jesse waited for a chill to go up his spine, as it did in his vision. But nothing happened.

"Alright," Andrew said as he paid for their tickets. "Henry, you and Noah sweep the upstairs. If you run into Mark let us know, I don't trust him yet. Derek and Charlie, you're watching the door. I don't want us to be caught by surprise by any monsters. I'll be checking out this floor while Jesse clears the third and above."

Jesse shrugged, it wasn't debatable that he was the fastest, and he chose not to voice any concerns of being alone. The young men parted ways. Jesse walked up the stairs with Henry and Noah, and climbed up a second flight of stairs, reaching the third floor.

Jesse walked through the various exhibits, wishing that he could run at full speed, but didn't want to draw attention to himself. He did a quick sweep of the third floor, trying to seem as inconspicuous as possible. After a few minutes he decided that Mark was not on that floor.

After doing a quick 360 to double check that Mark wasn't there, Jesse stood in front of an elevator. Suddenly remembering what had happened last time he took an elevator, Jesse almost turned around to take the stairs, but instead pressed the button, and the doors slid open.

Instead of a Cyclops waiting inside, the elevator contained a child, about nine, and his mother. Smiling at them, Jesse entered and moved to press the button for the fourth floor, but the button lit up just before he touched it. Jesse was shocked at first, but realized that it must have had something to do with his power over light. He glanced to the side to make sure the other passengers didn't notice.

"I like your sword." The kid said. Jesse smiled and looked away, and then back at the kid. He was smiling at Jesse, his eyes switching from him, to the sword. The boys mother stared at Jesse nervously, holding onto her sons shoulders.

Unsure of what to do, Jesse tried to look confused. "I don't have a sword." He tried to laugh, but his voice cracked. To answer, the boy only pointed at Jesse's weapon. What was wrong with the Mist? Jesse asked himself. He glanced at the boys mother, who was now purposely looking away from him.

Jesse pressed the button that stops the elevator, and felt it halt, a loud ringing noise sounded as it did. The mother immediately pulled her son close to her. Jesse raised his hands, "I'm not here to hurt him." He told the mother. "What's your name?" He asked the boy.

The kid looked confused by his mother's behavior. "Caleb…"

Jesse smiled, "Tell me Caleb, do you ever see something that isn't supposed to be there? Something that other people can't see?"

Caleb nodded. "Sometimes I see monsters. But my friends don't believe me, even when they're just on the other side of the street!" Above him, his mother had started to cry. Jesse reached out and touched Caleb's shoulder, trying to appear as friendly as possible.

Suddenly, Jesse was no longer in the elevator. In fact, he had no idea where he was. He was standing in front of a wreckage that had once been a house. Knowing what would happen, Jesse passed his hand through the mailbox.

"Yup, another vision." Jesse said to himself. He walked towards the wreckage, wondering if he would see Oliver. Not bothering to open the door, Jesse simply walked through it. As soon as he phased through the door he saw Caleb.

The boy was lying on the ground, his stomach cut open. His entrails were hanging over his left side, as if someone had pulled them out. His face was frozen in an expression of pain and terror. One eye was wide open, while the other was too mangled for Jesse to look at without grimacing.

Jesse fell to his knees, feeling bile rise in his throat. It was the second time he had seen a human death, the first being his mother. Unable to suppress it, Jesse let out a scream of anguish and anger. He turned around and saw a man behind him.

"I warned you." Oliver said.

And then, just like that, Jesse was back in the elevator, covered in sweat. Caleb and his mother were still there. Both alive. The woman looked even more frightened than she had before.

"Listen to me," Jesse said. "I don't know how much you know about your son, but I bet you know that he isn't like everyone else."

The woman only nodded.

"He needs to get to a safe place," Jesse said. "Do you know what a half-blood is?"

"A half what? What's happening?" The woman asked, crying even more.

"I'm going to leave this elevator." Jesse said. "You need to take your son to the main entrance. Caleb, you need to look for my friend Charlie. He's tall and will be carrying a sword, just like mine. Can you do that?" Caleb only nodded.

"You need to stay with him until I come back for you. Understand?" Jesse asked, while re-activating the elevator. The woman nodded, obviously confused, but too scared to do anything else.

Jesse suddenly had a vision different than those before. He saw Caleb and his mother both riding on a Pegasus horse. It was only for an instant, and it felt as if he was remembering something that had happened a long time ago.

Jesse reached down and took the celestial bronze knife he kept strapped to his leg and handed it to Caleb. "If anyone tries to hurt you, use that." He said as the doors opened.

"Wait!" The mother shouted, "He's just a child!"

Jesse walked out of the elevator and faced the woman. "We both know he's more than that. Now do what I said." With that, he made the doors close and turned around.

A security guard jogged towards the elevator, obviously sent to see why it had stopped. "The kid was playing around with the buttons." Jesse said. He made brief eye contact with the man and had a flash of a vision. He saw the man before him, not in the museum, but as a boy, being beaten by a drunken father.

It was over in a second, but Jesse felt completely drained. Trying not to collapse he nodded to the man and walked away.

"Goddamn it, Oliver." Jesse muttered under his breath. His brother had spoken the truth in his vision hours before. He was changing. His powers were evolving. But he couldn't let them get in the way of finding Mark. He made his way through the mammal exhibit, searching for the black haired demigod.

However, his search was hindered every time he made eye contact with someone. As soon as his eyes met with another's, he would have a sudden flash of that persons past or future. Some were normal. He saw an old man watching baseball. A middle aged woman reading to her daughter. But others were disturbing. He saw a man paying a woman for sex. A teenage girl cutting herself.

Jesse had to sit down. He stumbled towards a bench and eased onto it. He covered his eyes and waited for his heart rate to go down. Looking at the ground, he saw a pair of boots in front of him. He slowly looked up and saw a familiar face.

"I spy with my little eye… A demigod going through half-blood puberty."

Jesse had found Mark.

Again.


	11. Chapter 11

"Well, here you are." Jesse said, standing up. Despite his best efforts, he made brief eye contact with Mark, but no vision of the demigod's future came. Unsure of why nothing happened, Jesse chose to simply be relieved. He looked Mark up and down, trying to get a first impression of the hero they had left to find.

Like in the vision, Mark had jet black hair that seemed to be gelled up. The color of his hair matched his eyes perfectly, and Jesse could feel Mark's gaze piercing him. He was shorter than Jesse's height of 6'3 by a good four inches. The black 'wife-beater' shirt he wore under his jacket was tight enough to flaunt his extremely muscular torso. The bottom of his torn jeans were tucked into his combat boots, which looked recently polished. He carried two curved swords at his waist, a style of blade that Jesse had never seen a hero wield.

Mark's face, Jesse assumed, was one that would make most girls swoon, if not for the many piercings. Each ear had four studs, his nose was pierced on either side and he had an eyebrow and lip ring.

Realizing he was staring, Jesse snapped back to reality. "Thanks for sticking around Mark." He extended a hand to shake, but it was ignored.

"Trust me, you don't want to." Mark said. "So, why is it that you're looking for me?"

Jesse nodded. "Yeah, we have a lot to talk about. It would be easier to explain with my friends. They're downstairs."

"There are more of you? Here?!" Mark exclaimed, not caring about the attention he was receiving from those around him.

"Uh, yeah. We're all looking for you." Jesse said.

"You idiots! Didn't you think of what could happen if Andrew, Henry and I were together in a place like this?" Mark shouted. "You think they wouldn't catch our scent?"

"You know, we actually didn't consider that." Jesse said, growing nervous and feeling very stupid.

Mark ran a hand through his black hair, deep in thought. As if an idea came to him, Mark started running towards the stairs, pulling the fire alarm as he went.

"We need to get everyone out of here!" He shouted over the sound of the alarm. Jesse followed, having to push through the crowd of people rushing towards the exits.

"What's going on?" It was Henry. He was standing at the bottom of the stairs, being jostled by the people trying to evacuate. "Is that him?"

"Yeah! Henry, I think something's about to happen!" Jesse shouted. "Mark said something about our scent."

"That's a problem anywhere!" Henry yelled back.

Jesse only shrugged and slid down the railing. By the time he reached the bottom floor the museum was empty, besides a few demigods.

"Jesse!" It was Charlie, he jogged towards him, with Caleb and his mother right behind. "What's going on with these two?" He asked, referring to the child and mother behind him.

"He's a demigod." Jesse said. "He needs to get to camp now."

"How do you-" Charlie started. An overwhelming roar interrupted him. The ground cracked and several tiles from the ceiling fell.

"I don't think we have time to ask questions." Andrew said, "Bring them to the Pegusai in the park and send them to camp."

"No way I'm leaving you guys." Charlie said, "Did you hear that thing?"

"Charlie, if you don't move your ass then this kid will be in danger too. What if it was Billy?" Andrew asked, electricity sparking from his body.

Charlie stared Andrew down for a moment. "Fine, but do you really think that you're the right person to lecture me about being a big brother?" He said, prompting a stunned silence among the heroes.

Even Charlie seemed surprised by what he had said, "Wow, Andrew, I don't know where that-"

Andrew shook his head, "It's fine, just get the job done."

Still looking ashamed, Charlie turned to Caleb. "Alright buddy, I'm going to take you somewhere safe." Caleb nodded and let Charlie carry him on his back. "Be right behind me, don't stop for any reason, got it?" Charlie said to the mother, handing her the knife Jesse had given to her son.

After she nodded, they both ran out of the main entrance. The remaining six demigods stood together in the center of the lobby. Another roar echoed through the museum, prompting the heroes to draw their weapons.

Henry pressed the top of his mace can, causing it to transform into his golden trident, while Derek spun his bladeless hilt, turning it into a giant battle axe. Noah clicked the button of two small rods, making them grow into gigantic war hammers. Andrew pulled his staff out of its sheath across his back and filled it with an electric charge. Jesse readied his bow, making it grow to its full height of six five. But Mark did nothing except remove his jacket, revealing his heavily tattooed arms.

He closed his eyes as another roar pounded the room. Once the roar died down, Jesse could clearly hear something that sounded like dozens of footsteps tramping down the many stairs.

"Who's in charge?" Mark asked. Everyone immediately looked to Andrew, who rolled his eyes.

"Me I guess." Andrew said, not excitedly.

"Andrew, I think we're dealing with the Nemean Lion."

"What?" Derek and Henry shouted simultaneously. Mark only shrugged.

"God damn it!" Henry yelled, kicking a wall in frustration. "How is it out of the underworld? Oliver killed it four years ago!"

"Something weird has been going on in the underworld, monsters have been reviving at a rapid rate." Mark said, "My father sent me to investigate. And to meet up with you."

Noah spoke up, "That explains why the Stympalian birds came back so quickly."

"There's more out there than a lion, I think." Jesse said, "We all hear the footsteps, right?" He asked, resting an arrow on his bowstring. Everyone nodded, but no one had ideas as to who the footsteps belonged to. Another roar sounded, crushing their eardrums, followed by more footsteps coming down the stairs.

"What's going on here?" Someone said from the entrance. The demigods spun around and saw a man whose uniform identified him as a security guard. He had a hand at the holster of his gun and seemed genuinely confused.

Andrew walked over and stopped right in front him. "Sir, you need to get out of here." He snapped his fingers and Jesse felt a surge of power come from the son of Zeus, suggesting that Andrew had manipulated the Mist.

The security guard shook his head, "No…I think this is exactly where I'm supposed to be." He pulled his gun from his holster. Next to him, Jesse saw Henry flinch when the gun was drawn.

"That's made of celestial bronze!" Henry shouted and started running towards the man. "Andrew, move!"

But even the strongest demigod alive wasn't fast enough to dodge a celestial bullet at such close range. The man fired from the hip, and the magic bullet burrowed into Andrew's stomach. The bullet went through the hero and thudded into the opposite wall, nearly hitting Jesse's arm on the way.

In shock, no one moved for a few moments as Andrew swayed from side to side. Jesse heard Andrew gasp for breath, and heard him call out something weakly, but couldn't hear what he said.

The security guard kicked Andrew in the chest, knocking him on his back, blood pooling around him. The man removed his cap, revealing a single blue eye on his forehead. Jesse felt his heart drop.

The Cyclops looked at Jesse for a moment before smiling. "I remember you!"

No plan registered into Jesse's mind. He simply knew that it was his job to kill the monster standing over Andrew, a gun in one hand, and the death of Maria Cantor in the other. They both fired at the same time, Jesse's arrow meeting the monster's bullet, causing a small explosion. As Jesse tossed his bow aside and drew his sword he saw a giant lion with steel-grey skin pouncing out of the mammal exhibit and a swarm of unidentifiable creatures charging down the stairs.

The Cyclops fired at him again, and, with speed he didn't know he had, Jesse deflected it with his sword. Running towards the monster, Jesse threw his blade at the Cyclops, imbedding it into its shoulder.

Before he could remove it, Jesse charged forward and punched the creature in the throat, and then in the ribs. The Cyclops fell to its knees, pulling the sword out of his arm, swinging it at the son of Apollo. Jesse ducked under the blade with ease and kicked the monster in the chest, making him drop the sword and knocked him flat on his back. He reached into his quiver, gripped three arrows at once and shoved them into the monster's eye.

Before the Cyclops could die, Jesse passed his hand over the mutilated eye and healed it, but allowed the arrows to remain. "I'm not letting you die yet, you son of a bitch." He whispered in its ear. He drew four more arrows and stabbed into his hands and feet, pinning him on the ground. "I'll be right back, don't you move." He picked up his sword and turned to help his friend.

Jesse ran to Andrew and knelt over him, "It's ok man, I'm here." He said, opening Andrews shirt to check out the wound.

The son of Zeus was wide-eyed and pale, but shook his head. " 's fine… Go fight, I'll be here." He slapped Jesse's hand away, "Go!"

Knowing he was needed in the fight, Jesse chose to close the wound for now, and finish healing Andrew once the danger was gone. Ignoring his friends protests, Jesse turned Andrew on his side and pressed a palm on each wound and focused. He felt an intense heat drain from his hands and into Andrew's body, and when he removed his hands, he saw the holes closing.

"I'll be right back." He promised his friend, ignoring his aching head, and ran into the fray. The demigods from camp were working together to keep the giant lion at bay, while Mark was standing at the bottom of the stairs, slaying each monster that approached him.

As he ran forward, Jesse saw Henry stab the lion's leg, only to have his trident bounce off the monster's hide without leaving a mark. With a swipe of its paw, the lion sent Henry flying towards Jesse.

Jesse jumped into the air and caught his friend. As they landed in a heap, Jesse asked if he was alright.

"Fuck that, is Andrew alright?" Henry asked, wiping blood from his cheek. "Actually, we'll worry about that later, we've got more company."

Jesse turned and saw that three more Cyclops had entered the museum, and, unlike the one Jesse just defeated, they were standing at their standard height of twenty feet.

"I gotta say Henry," Jesse said, his hands on his knees. "You guys have a pretty strong scent." Not waiting for Henry to respond, he started to run. But as soon as he took a step everything around him went quiet. Confused, he turned around and saw that everyone else in the room, demigods and monsters alike, had slowed down considerably. He saw Mark clash swords with a monster, and the sound of the blades echoed through the room.

"Fucking half-blood puberty." Jesse muttered and ran towards the Cyclops he downed earlier. Still the only thing moving at full speed, Jesse picked up the celestial bronze gun and fired it three times, once at each Cyclops. As soon as the third shot was fired proper sound and speed returned to Jesse's world.

The three monsters collapsed, each with a bullet lodged in his brain, remaining for a few seconds before turning into black sand. Jesse turned and fired four times at the lion. Each bullet glanced uselessly against the creature, but it distracted the lion long enough for Noah to strike it fiercely in the head with one of his hammers, putting it in a daze. All the demigods were still fighting, except Andrew and Henry, the latter was staring dumbly at Jesse.

"Do you know what you just did?" Henry asked in awe.

Jesse wiped the blood that was pouring from his nose, "I don't, but do you really think now is the time to discuss this? Hold down Andrew's arms." He said. They both knelt over Andrews body and Henry did as ordered, pinning down Andrew's arms with his knees.

"NO!" Andrew shouted, "It has to be me! Let go of me you bastard! I deserve this!"

"Andrew, I'm going to assume that's the pain talking, and since we're friends I'll forgive you." Henry said with a grin, trying to hide his worry.

Jesse tried not think about why Andrew wanted to die as he got to work repairing the tissue of Andrew's stomach. It took him longer than he would have liked, he was constantly distracted by the fights around him and Andrew's struggling. He finally finished and stood up, but fell down again due to light headedness.

He suddenly felt a shadow loom over him. Jesse looked up and saw the Nemean lion standing over them, drool pouring from its mouth. To tired to stand, much less fight, Jesse only looked at Henry who was staring back at him, confused.

Just as the lion dove forward to bite Jesse in half, Andrew jumped up and grabbed the lion by the neck. The lion stopped in its tracks, struggling to move forward.

The two powerhouses remained locked in that position, struggling to overpower the other. Defying any logic Jesse grew up knowing, Andrew started growing taller and broader, his shirt ripping as his muscles expanded.

With a shout of effort and pain, Andrew's body crackled with electricity, which traveled into the lions body, frying it from the inside out. It crumbled into sand over the three heroes, covering them, leaving only a long strip of hide in its wake.

Andrew collapsed between Jesse and Henry, breathing hard. "Are you guys ok?"

Jesse nodded as Henry helped Andrew to his feet. Around them, the fight had ended. Mark had single handedly defeated an army of monsters coming from upstairs, and Derek was limping towards Noah, who was dabbing at a cut on his forehead.

"What do you want to do with him?" Andrew asked Jesse, jerking his head towards the writhing Cyclops.

Jesse shook his head as he picked up his sword and returned it to its sheath. "I'd kill him, but he'd just be back in a few weeks." He kicked it in the ribs, making it whimper in pain.

"Not necessarily," Mark said. He walked over, cleaning one of his twin blades on the leg of his pants. "Do you want him gone? For good?"

Jesse nodded, images of his mother flashing through his mind. Mark nodded and reached down to touch the monster.

"Wait!" Jesse stopped him, "Can't I do it?" Mark looked at him for a moment before nodding.

"Give me one of your arrows." He said, holding out his hand. Jesse took one from his quiver and handed to Mark, who was careful not to make physical contact with him. He held the bronze weapon in his hand for a moment. Jesse watched as the arrow started to glow dark blue, almost black, and then revert to its normal color.

"Take your shot." Mark said, dropping the arrow into Jesse's hand. He flinched when he caught it, the arrow was ice-cold.

Jesse knelt next to the monster and lowered his head to its ear. "You killed the only family I had growing up" He said. Jesse looked up at the five other heroes watching. "But it turns out my family's much larger than I thought." He said. "You'll never hurt any member of my family ever again." He lifted his head and stabbed down into the Cyclops' throat with the arrow. A warm spray of blood coated Jesse's face and chest as the Cyclops writhed in pain for a few seconds, jolted, and died, never turning to sand.

Jesse remained there, kneeling over the thing that killed his mother, arms at his sides, his face tilted towards the ceiling, eyes closed. He waited for the guilt of his mothers death leave him, but it still remained. Enraged, Jesse pulled the arrow from the throat of the corpse and stabbed into its chest again and again. He raised the arrow again, but felt a strong grip on his arm.

"Please," Henry said, his eyes filled with sorrow. "I feel for you, but… he's still my brother. It was hard enough killing him once."

Jesse stared at his friend, he had forgotten that as the son of Posiedon, Henry was directly related to all Cyclops. He dropped the arrow on the floor and rose to his feet.

"So he goes back to hell?" Jesse asked, wiping blood and tears from his eyes. "But he can't come back to our world?"

Mark sheathed his swords, "I don't know where he'll go. But it sure isn't Hades."

Jesse nodded, "Is everyone alright?" He called. There were several grunts from the other demigods. Derek had picked up Jesse's discarded bow and handed it to his friend. Jessed thanked him and shrunk the weapon and taped it to his forearm.

Footsteps sounded from the front door. Jesse turned, half expecting more monsters to attack.

"Did I miss something?" Charlie asked.

"Very funny." Jesse said, "Is Caleb safe?"

"Yes, yes." Charlie said, "I put them on a Pegasus and sent them to camp, they'll be there in a few hours. Unfortunately, I ran into some trouble myself."  
"What?" Henry said, putting Andrew's arm over his shoulders.

"Long story short, the horses and a couple monsters are dead." Charlie said, "We need some new transportation." He was avoiding looking at Andrew, obviously still embarrassed about what he had said.

"What we need is a place to crash." Derek interjected. "In case you guys have forgotten, we haven't slept in nearly two days, and that was our third run-in with monsters. And, to top it off, I'm hungry."

Jesse blinked in surprise, he had completely lost track of time. "I guess we can stay in my apartment." He said, not enthusiastically.

Mark laughed, "Guys, I know I'm new to the group and everything, but maybe I should handle this problem." He pulled a wallet out of his back pocket, "You guys know that Hades is the god of wealth right?"

Despite everything, Andrew started laughing. Henry, Jesse and Noah joined in too. And soon, even Derek and Charlie were laughing. Over the laughter, Jesse heard approaching sirens.

"Guys, I think it's time for us to go." Jesse said.


	12. Chapter 12

The team of demigods were able to slip out a side exit of the museum before the police arrived. Mark took charge and hailed two cabs. He, Andrew, Jesse and Derek piled into one, while Charlie Noah and Henry got in the second.

Once the cab started moving, Andrew tossed something to Jesse from the front seat. Jesse caught it, not expecting the extreme weight. After a second, he realized it was the hide of the Nemean lion that Andrew killed.

"Gross?" Jesse said, not understanding what was going on.

"Consider it a thank you." Andrew said with a smile. "Heracles wore that you know."

Jesse nearly jumped in surprised as the lion's hide changed size and shape, until it took the form of a long brown duster jacket. He put it on, having trouble doing so in a crowded cab. It fit him perfectly, and once it was on, Jesse no longer felt its extreme weight.

"I feel bad," Jesse said, "You're the one who…" He looked at the cabbie, not wanting to say anything that would compromise the secrecy of their existence.

"Don't sweat him," Mark said from the other side of the car. "He's with me." Obviously listening, the cabbie waved his hand, which Jesse noticed was only bone.

"Moving on from that terrifying revelation," Jesse continued, "You killed the lion, it should be yours." He started removing the jacket.

"Nope," Andrew said, "I figure that I wouldn't have been able to kill the lion if you hadn't healed me. So, it's your kill. Also, as long as you're here, we always can count on you to heal us, and I'm pretty sure you can't heal yourself, so you might as well have this for protection."

"Sorry to interrupt the 'bromance', but we're here." Mark said. The cab pulled up to a large hotel. A satyr ran out of the building and opened Andrew and Mark's door, letting the demigods out.

"Welcome to the Arcadia Hotel sirs." The Satyr said as he opened the doors to the second cab.

Jesse saw Charlie notice the new jacket he was wearing, looking at it almost enviously. "Nice coat." Charlie said once everyone was out of the cars. "With that gun you look like Roland Deschain." He said, pointing at the pistol at Jesse's belt. Jesse and Mark laughed, but the others looked confused.

"What?" Jesse said to the others, "You haven't read the Dark Tower series?"

"They aren't as well read as us." Charlie said. Henry only rolled his eyes and helped Andrew out of the cab, who seemed to still be in a bit of pain.

"You know, I've always wanted to stay here." The son of Poseidon said.

"What exactly is 'here'?" Jesse asked, "I've lived in this city all my life, and I've never heard of the Arcadia Hotel."

"It's a place for demigods, and other people with affiliation with the gods, to rest or wind down." Mark answered, tipping the Satyr.

"Well I'm definitely down for resting." Noah said. There were grunts of agreement from the other heroes. The lack of sleep catching up to him, Jesse could barely keep his eyes open. He smacked his cheek a few times to stay awake and followed his friends inside.

Although it seemed to be a modern hotel on the outside, the structure of the hotel. seemed to change into a completely different building. While it looked like a palace pulled right out of ancient Rome, it still had the technologies of Jesse's time, T.V's were on the walls and Satyrs behind welcome desks were using phones and computers.

After noticing the scenery, the next thing Jesse took note of was the strange looks they were receiving. He didn't understand until he saw their reflection on the gold wall.

They were all in terrible shape. Andrew's shirt was torn and soaked in blood. Henry had three long scratches across his face from where the lion had hit him. Blood was dripping from Noah's arm to the floor. Derek was sporting a limp that almost matched Noah's, and Mark's nose was badly broken.

But Jesse was the worst of all. His face and torso was still covered in the blood of the Cyclops he brutally killed. Thankfully his new jacket covered his blood stained clothes, but he still looked terrifying.

Mark approached the desk. "I'm Mark Wolfram, I'm going to need to upgrade my room, these men will be staying with me."

After the Satyr appreciated the condition of the heroes, he typed Marks name into the computer and read the information that popped up. "Yes sir, you've been given the penthouse suites on the top floor. How long do you plan on staying with us?"

"Three days at the most," Andrew said, stepping forward. "We've got some sleep to catch up on."

The Satyr looked at Andrew for a long moment, his mouth agape. He looked from Andrew to Henry and then the other heroes. "You…you're…" He stammered.

"Aww," Jesse joked, "You guys are celebrities." His friends laughed, although Andrew and Henry didn't seem very amused.

"We'll take our keys now, if you don't mind." Charlie said, getting the Satyrs attention. The Satyr, obviously recognizing Charlie as well, handed him several key cards.

"Here you are Mr. Shepherd." The Satyr said, and leaned forward. "It is an absolute honor to meet you sir." Charlie modestly smiled, and the Satyr continued. "The hotel would like to apologize in advance for any distractions the other guests may cause. It's not often that heroes of your caliber stay here. To compensate, your meals and drinks here will be free."

Jesse saw several of his friend's eyebrows rise at the idea of free drinks. Charlie thanked the Satyr and the group of seven young men walked towards the elevator. Jesse noticed them receive several looks of recognition from the other guests.

"You guys get this a lot?" Jesse asked Henry.

He shrugged. "Occasionally, not as much as Charlie though."

Jesse laughed despite being confused as to why Charlie would be the most famous of the heroes he was with. He activated the elevator, hoping that another traumatic event wouldn't occur once the doors opened. Thankfully, it was empty, and the friends piled inside, extremely cramped. Thankfully the ride to the top of the building was surprisingly fast, and in no time the seven demigods were in the penthouse suite.

The room was several times larger than the apartment Jesse had grown up in. Scattered among the many rooms were plush couches, luxurious chairs beautiful paintings hanging on the walls. Next to him, the other heroes seemed just as impressed. Derek however was beside himself.

"Is this for real?" He asked, his eyed wide. "There's a TV in every room! NOAH! THERE'S A TV IN EVERY ROOM!" The son of Ares bounced around the penthouse, seemingly five years younger.

"You ok there Derek?" Henry asked, trying not to laugh.

"Are you kidding me?" Derek asked, "The only TV I grew up with had antennas! And it wasn't even mine!"

"Ah, to be a farm boy in Montana." Noah said with a grin. "Now, can we please get cleaned up and rest? I feel like I could sleep for days."

There were grunts of agreement from the other heroes (except Derek, who was trying to turn the television on, but only succeeding to restart the oven clock). Jesse beat Henry to the shower, leaving the son of Poseidon cursing his name from behind the bathroom door.

Jesse pulled his gun from his belt and placed it by the seat, along with his quiver and shrunken bow. He hung his new lion skin coat carefully on a hanger and ripped off his ruined clothes. Jesse turned on the shower and in a few moments the bathroom was filled with steam. Jesse stepped into the shower, reveling in the cascade of hot water that poured over him. Jesse stood in the shower with his eyes closed for a few moments.

He opened his eyes and looked down at the tub, seeing the blood that had nearly dried to his skin pool around the drain, leaving a nearly pink ring around the porcelain tank. Jesse took great care to wash all the blood off his skin and out of his hair. As he soaped himself, he thought about the fight that went on a mere twenty minutes before. He had done something new, he was sure of that. He had either slowed down time, or went so fast it seemed that way. Jesse remembered the expression on Henry's face after he had killed the three Cyclops. He also remembered how blood had poured from his nose as soon as things went back to normal.

Oliver had warned him, Jesse recalled, but he had no way of being prepared for all of this. Between seeing Caleb, dead in the ruins of his home, and the flashes of the future, Jesse wasn't sure if he could handle it. Not alone at least.

"Well, you have to."

Jesse nearly screamed in surprise. He whipped the shower curtain away and saw Oliver standing in the bathroom. Jesse sighed and turned off the shower.

"You really need to stop making this sort of entrance." He said, stepping out of the tub. As usual, Oliver was wearing his suit and tie, and seemed unaffected by the steam from the shower, nor did he seem to care that his half-brother was bare-naked in front of him.

"Would you rather I appear to you when your friends are around?" Oliver asked, scratching his side. "The only thing they'd see would be you talking to yourself, and I doubt you want that."

Knowing Oliver had a good point, Jesse turned the shower back on, so they wouldn't be overheard. He picked up a towel and started drying his hair, "Well, what about last time? It was like you stopped time around me."

Oliver only shrugged, "I could try to freeze your consciences again, but there's a high chance that your brain would shut down."

"Well we wouldn't want that." Jesse said, wrapping the towel around his waist. "Why are you here, Oliver? It hasn't even been twenty four hours."

"I come when I'm needed." Oliver said. "And it seems that you're scaring yourself with your power, so here I am."

Jesse sat down on the edge of the tub, knowing that Oliver was right. "What exactly is happening to me? I'm seeing the future every time I look a mortal in the eye. I touched Caleb's shoulder and I saw him dead!"

Oliver nodded, scratching his nose before answering, "Well, like all demigods, your power develops more and more when your knowledge of your heritage grows."

"Yeah, I know, but I only found out that Apollo is my father four days ago!" Jesse said. "I thought it would take longer!"

Oliver didn't answer for a long moment, "That's because you, like I am, are very special. We are different from most demigods, we develop quicker than most heroes, and when we do we become overwhelmingly powerful."

Jesse took a moment to process this. Although the idea of being powerful was nice, he didn't like thinking he was different from his friends. "So this happened to you too?"

"Even earlier." Oliver said, "I lived with Apollo for eight years before going to camp. Because of this, I became very strong at a young age, and I built a reputation."

Somewhat stunned, Jesse stood up and faced his half-brother. He remembered Henry telling him about Oliver's extreme strength, but still had some trouble believing it. Oliver was shorter than Jesse, standing at five foot ten, and was even thinner that his younger brother, almost scrawny.

"There may be a few slip-ups, but you should be able to control when you have visions of people you make eye contact with." Oliver said, "And one day you'll be able to increase your speed, like you did in the museum."

Jesse nodded and faced the mirror, seeing his own reflection, but not Oliver's. "How exactly am I able to see you?" Jesse asked, turning back to his brother.

"That, Jesse, is one of the questions I can't answer yet." Oliver said. He nodded to Jesse, reached for the light switch, and flipped it, covering them in darkness. Jesse turned the switch back on and saw that his brother was gone.

"He's a bit too dramatic if you ask me." Jesse said to himself. He reached into the shower and turned it off. Before leaving the bathroom, Jesse took a moment to inspect himself in the mirror. He realized that Oliver was right, with the knowledge of his heritage, Jesse started to develop. The term 'jacked' entered Jesses mind, much to his delight. He was no longer the tall lanky kid he had been known as in high school. He chest was well defined with muscle, as were his arms. Not as much as the other heroes on the quest, Jesse noticed, but he dismissed it, knowing that the others were meant for close combat, while he was not. Realizing that he had just had the weirdest shower ever, Jesse gathered his things and left the bathroom.

"Finally!" Henry shouted from the couch when Jesse left the bathroom. He too was shirtless, wearing only his jeans and sneakers. "Take forever, why don't you?"

"Look! Jesse doesn't have chest hair either!" Andrew shouted, pointing from the kitchen. "What's the deal Henry? Do you guys get them waxed together?"

"Unlike you and your primate cousins, I've evolved past the need for body hair." Jesse said.

"And I told you! I'm built as a swimmer!" Henry said, laughing, "Do you see Michael Phelps with chest hair? No, you don't."

"Maybe he hasn't gone through puberty either." Noah laughed, making Jesse and Henry blush and storm off, Jesse into a bedroom and Henry into the bathroom, the other heroes laughing uncontrollably.

8


	13. Chapter 13

Author's note: Hey guys, wingfoot here. I'll try to make this quick. Thanks for keeping up with the story, keep reading and reviewing! A lot of new information will be coming up this chapter, so if you have any predictions after reading, feel free to post them so I can make fun of how wrong you are!

Jesse woke from the greatest sleep of his life. He sat up in his cozy bed and looked around. In the bed next to his, Henry was still fast asleep, snoring loudly. Yawning, Jesse checked the clock on the dresser: 3:18 pm. Jesse whistled quietly, he had slept for almost thirty-six hours. Jesse got out of bed and saw a note on the dresser and read it aloud. "This bed has been charmed by Morpheus, god of sleep, for your comfort!" Scratching his chest, Jesse went to the penthouse's kitchen and saw tat he wasn't the first to wake up.

"Hey, bed head." Charlie said from the table. Next to him, eating cereal, were Andrew and Noah.

"Hey yourself." Jesse said, sitting next to Noah. "Where's Derek and Mark?"

"Derek's in the shower." Andrew said with a mouth full of Orpheus O's. "Mark isn't in his room though."

"Maybe we should take this opportunity to decide if we trust him or not." Noah said. "The prophecy does say that we'd be betrayed."

Charlie waved a hand dismissively, "I'm way too tired for that conversation, we'll play it by ear for now." There were grunts of agreement and the room fell silent save the sound of spoons scraping the sides of cereal bowls.

After a few minutes of eating, Derek was out of the bathroom and Henry was finally awake. While everyone ate Jesse gave everyone a once over for injuries, but it seemed that their hotel room was charmed so that injuries would heal quickly when inside.

"Can we talk about it now?" Noah asked once everyone was finished eating. No one replied, obviously thinking the matter over themselves. Finally, Andrew spoke up.

"To be honest, I don't trust him yet." He said, drumming his fingers on the table. "But that doesn't mean he's the guy. We should just tread lightly with him."

"And even if he is planning to betray us, we can't do anything about it yet." Henry said, "We need him if we want to find the entrance of Hades. As far as I know, none of us know how to get there." There were nods of agreement.

"Well I say we just put our cards on the table." Derek said.

"What do you mean?" Jesse asked.

"Well, you mentioned that he had been looking for us." Derek said, "There are only two options, he was looking for us so he could keep us from completing the quest, or he needs something from us. So I say we tell him what we need and he'll tell us what he needs."

Before any of the heroes could respond, the door opened, and Mark walked in with a dozen bags under his arms.

"Hey Mark. Where've you been?" Charlie asked loudly, failing to act inconspicuous.

Mark dumped the bags on the nearest coach and sat next to them. "I figured I'd give you guys some time to talk about me, so I got clothes for you guys, seeing how you all packed like you were going to your first sleepover."

"Well, thanks." Jesse said, embarrassed. "We actually left in a hurry, packing wasn't really an option."

"Doesn't matter. Are you guys done, or should I step out for a few more minutes?" Mark asked. The other heroes were caught off guard and none spoke up for a moment.

"It's fine, we're done gossiping." Andrew said. "You want something to eat?"

"I'd rather just hear the prophecy and be on the same page as you guys."

The heroes looked at each other, still surprised by Mark's honesty. Charlie pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to the son of Hades. Mark opened it and read it silently for a few minutes, staring at it intensely. Finally, he spoke.

"Shitty poetry, but fairly straight forward." Mark said, "You heard it right?" He asked Jesse, who nodded. "And you're sure you got it all down correctly?"

"Couldn't forget it if I tried." Jesse said with a laugh. Mark only nodded, as if he had expected that answer.

"So, I already know all about the six of you." Mark said, "But I figure you want to know a bit about me, right?"

"That would be great," Henry said, turning his chair to face Mark. "But how do you know all of us?"

"I used to date a friend of yours." Was Marks answer. "Do you remember Ashley Flynn?"

"You know Ashley?" Andrew exclaimed. "We haven't seen her in nearly three years!" The other heroes were obviously surprised by Marks claim.

"Wait," Jesse said, growing tired of being the least informed person in the room yet again. "Who's Ashley?"

"Old friend of ours. She left camp a few months after Oliver died." Charlie said. "And that brings up a good point." He added, "Ashley doesn't know Jesse, so how do you know about him?"

Mark didn't bother trying to hide his reluctance to answer, "Oliver told me about him five years ago." He said. No one spoke for a long time, each hero processing the information.

"I don't understand," Jesse said. "How could he tell you about me? He was long gone before I ever came to camp. And I sure as hell didn't know him when I was twelve!"

Jesse could feel the tension between Mark and the other heroes building. He could tell the son of Hades could sense it too, but Mark didn't back down.

"I don't understand it either." Mark said. "All I know is that Oliver visited me at my dad's palace and told me that one day another son of Apollo named Jesse Cantor would turn up and I'd have to protect him. He even described you, perfectly might I add.

"So I waited, but I did my research first." Mark continued, "I heard that something was killing off all of Apollo's kids, so I knew that Oliver was being serious. A couple years later, Oliver died, and I knew the storm was coming. When I met Ashley I had her tell me about all the big players so I'd know who to look out for. And here you are."

"Let me get this straight," Charlie said, standing up. "You're claiming that Oliver asked you protect a demigod that neither of you had ever met? And you agreed?"

"Yup." Was Mark's response.

"Ok." Henry said, also standing. "I believe that Oliver could know about Jesse before they ever met. I've seen him do more impressive things. I'm just curious as to why."

"Why what?" Mark asked, ignoring Charlie's death glare.

"Why did you believe him? Why did you agree to protect Jesse?" Henry asked.

Mark smiled. "Because no one outside my father's palace knew I existed." He said. "But Oliver knew my name, my age and where to find me. I figured that if there was ever a guy to listen to, it was him."

"Did he mention why I needed protection?" Jesse asked.

"Sort of." Was Mark's answer. "Nothing specific. He just told me that I had to make sure you survived the quest."

"Well, what makes Jesse so special that he needs you to protect him?" Noah asked. "No offense." He added with a laugh.

Jesse answered before Mark could. "Because I'm the last child of Apollo, and someone needs my family dead."

"Well, if we're right about who the 'enemy' is in the prophecy than it's probably the titans, specifically Kronos." Charlie said, "The question is why does he need you and your siblings dead."

"One thing's for sure." Andrew said after a long silence, "We won't figure that out in a hotel room. The only way to find that out is by finishing this quest, so let's figure out our next move."

Jesse tried to hide his fear and nodded in agreement with the others. "Didn't you say that the nearest entrance to Hades is in D.C.?" He asked Charlie.

The son of Hermes nodded, "That I know of, at least. But I bet our friend here can confirm that." He said, referring to Mark.

"He's right." Mark said, "It's one of two entrances that the living can use, so unless you guys feel like offing yourselves, it's our best bet. Do you guys have a form of transportation?"

"Not anymore." Derek said, "Charlie said they all got killed off while we were fighting the monsters in the museum."

"Hellhounds." Charlie said.

"No disrespect towards your horses, Henry," Andrew said, "But we wouldn't use them anyway, not with the Stymphalin birds back in action."

"My mom had a minivan." Jesse chimed in, ignoring the pang to his heart the thought of his mother caused. "It's probably been impounded by now, but we could all pile in there."

"Too dangerous." Henry said, scratching his temple. "We'd be too public, if a monster attacked civilians could get hurt. The prophecy said that we'll be chased by monsters the entire quest, I'd rather not put anyone else in danger."

Jesse leaned back in his chair, resigning the point to Henry. He racked his brain, trying to think of a solution. Noah beat him to it.

"The tunnels!" He shouted excitedly, standing from his chair and using his cane for support. "We could take the tunnels!"

"Tunnels?" Jesse asked, "Like, the sewer system?"

"No, the Labyrinth!" Noah corrected Jesse. "It runs all over the country below the surface."

"We could take the Labyrinth!" Henry said, matching Noah's excitement. "It could cut our time in half!"

"Are you guys talking about THE Labyrinth?" Jesse asked, "Like, with the golden thread and big-ass bull?"

"Which I just killed," Charlie said, a smile growing across his face, which made him (Jesse noticed) look exactly like his father. "It's only been two days since the Minotaur died and based on how soon the birds came back, we have a week before he'll be down there again."

"Ok," Andrew said, trying to calm everyone down, "Assuming that we could find the entrance to the Labyrinth, how are we going to find a way out? Specifically the right one. No offense to Mark, but I doubt he'll be able to guide us to Hades in the maze."

"I may not have to," Mark said, stepping away from the wall. "If Charlie's reputation matches his ability, he should be able to get us through."

Mark's comment triggered something in Jesse's mind. Just the day before Henry had mentioned that Charlie was considered famous in the demigod world, but Jesse still had no idea why. Before he could ask, Jesse realized that Charlie was nodding.

"You know, I hadn't thought of that." He said, "My father is the guide to Hades, and I'd be willing to put some money down to say that I could get us there too."

"Wow," Andrew said, looking both startled and excited. "I guess we have a plan. All we have to do is find out where the nearest entrance to the Labyrinth is."

"Where can we figure that out?" Henry asked. "Last time I checked, no hero has taken that maze since the civil war."

There was a few seconds of silence before Charlie spoke up. "Let's use one of our lifelines." He joked, causing no response. "Oh, come on! Phone a friend! Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" He looked at the un-amused heroes in disbelief. "Fine, be assholes. Let's just call Chiron."

Five minutes later, Andrew and Charlie were in the bathroom, sending Chiron an "Iris message" (which Jesse didn't bother asking about). While the two heroes were calling the Centaur, the other heroes were preparing to leave.

"Thanks for the clothes Mark." Jesse said as he buttoned up the black dress shirt that Mark had bought him. "I guess did come unprepared like you said." Upon first seeing the shirt Mark had picked for him, Jesse was afraid that Mark had bought them all clothes matching his "goth-style", but somehow Mark had been able to buy outfits that worked for each hero.

Henry had already tried on his pre-torn jeans (a style that Jesse never agreed with) and was wearing a white tee under his loose 'hoodie' sweatshirt. Noah was making sure he could fit his tools in the many pockets of his new cargo pants and army jacket while Derek struggled to squeeze into his skin-tight muscle shirt.

The son of Hades shrugged, "It happens. I barely did any of the work. The nyads working at the store seemed to know what would work for everyone after I showed them all pictures of you guys."

Jesse nodded, deciding to ignore the fact that Mark had somehow taken pictures of all of them. He pulled a red tie from the bag and put it on, tying the knot with ease. His mother had sent him to a private school with a uniform to "build character".

"I know the black shirt kind of clashes with the whole 'son of light' thing," Mark said, "But I figure that if people are after you, we shouldn't make it obvious who you are."

"Kind of scary to think about, but thanks." Jesse said with a laugh. "You mind if I ask you something?" He asked as he went back to his room to retrieve his lion-skin jacket.

"Depends on what it is." Mark said, following Jesse into the room.

"What was Oliver like?" Jesse asked, lowering his voice slightly so the others wouldn't hear. "People have told me about him, but I get the feeling that everyone respected him so much they don't want to say anything about him that wouldn't put him on a pedestal."

Mark scratched the back of his head and exhaled, as if thinking of his answer very carefully. "Well, as I'm sure you've already heard, he was extremely powerful. The fact that he got into my father's palace proves that. And he beat me when I attacked him, so I'd say 'extremely powerful' doesn't do him justice." Mark smiled, apparently remembering their meeting.

"He was shorter than me, much shorter than you." Mark continued, "Short blond hair, green eyes. His eyes actually freaked me out a bit, like they saw more than mine do."

Jesse nodded, not wanting to reveal the fact that he already knew what Oliver looked like. He wasn't ready to share his visions of his brother with anyone yet.

"But I guess you want to hear about how he acted," Mark guessed, "Well, at first, I thought he was cold, emotionless even. But as he started talking about how I had to protect you, he seemed really passionate. Now, I've heard stories about Oliver. Like how he killed the Nemean Lion by himself and how he beat a squad of Lestrygonians without getting a scratch. But when we were talking, I couldn't imagine him hurting a fly."

Jesse bit his lip. He doubted that Mark knew anything else about Oliver and didn't feel like pressing the demigod for more information. "Thanks Mark, I really appreciate it." He said, putting on the jacket that had once been the hide of the monster lion.

Mark only shrugged and left the room leaving Jesse alone in the room with his thoughts. Putting Oliver out of this mind for the moment, Jesse started gearing up: He put on his belt and placed his sword in its sheath, strapped his several knives to his legs and belt and slung his quiver over his shoulder. Rather than making his bow small enough to tape to his forearm, Jesse chose to keep it on his back, nearly full-sized. He looked around for the gun he had taken from the Cyclops he had killed in the museum, but it seemed that someone had taken it from his room.

"Have you guys seen the gun?" He called, leaving the room.

"Yeah, I took it." Noah said. The son of Hephaestus limped into his room and came out with Jesse's pistol. "I figured you could use a few more bullets so I grabbed it so I could make sure I would make the right size." Noah spun the gun in his palm and handed it to Jesse.

"I also made you a few extra magazines for the ammo and a holster strap." Noah said, pulling three magazines full of celestial bronze bullets and a long leather holster out of his jacket pockets.

"I marvel at your handiwork, Noah." Jesse said, taking them graciously. He took off his jacket to put on the strap and placed the gun carefully in its holster, making sure to leave the safety on, and stuffed the mags in his inner jacket pockets.

"I actually came up with an idea you might like." Noah said to Jesse. "I'm not sure if it would definitely take effect, but what if you infused your gun or bullets with light? It may come in handy."

Jesse smiled and pulled his gun from its new holster. He held it in both hands and focused on creating light between his palms, then transferring it to the weapon. The pistol glowed bright for a moment, then dimmed to its original color.

"Good thinking, Noah. Thanks." Jesse said, returning the gun to its spot in his jacket.

"Hey, you can't leave your bow like that." Henry said, who was now trying to help Derek squeeze into his muscle shirt.

"Why? The Mist covers it up, doesn't it?" Jesse asked, confused.

"Usually it would." Henry answered, "But the Mist isn't strong enough to hide a blessed weapon. If an object has been literally held by a god in the process of creation, it is an official weapon of the gods, and the Mist won't be able to hide it."

Jesse's eyes widened. He had no idea that his bow was so powerful. "Is that why your trident is kept in a different form?"

Henry didn't answer at first, too focused on pulling down on Derek's shirt, finally yanking it down to his shoulders. "That's right." He said, out of breath.

"Same thing for my sword," Derek said, straightening out his rebellious shirt, referring to his bladeless hilt that could change forms. "And Noah's war-hammers."

"Point taken." Jesse said, pulling his bow from his back. Before making it shrink down to a safe size, he looked the bow up and down and saw something he had never noticed on his bow before. It was a series of several Greek characters running across the bow. Unlike English letters, Jesse had no trouble reading what they said.

"Alexander…" He said to himself, too quietly for others to hear. His brain immediately 'went Greek' and Jesse remembered that 'Alexander' meant protector of mankind. Smiling to himself, Jesse shrunk his bow and taped it to his forearm.

At the same time, Andrew emerged from the bathroom. "Talked to Chiron, everyone at camp is safe by the way. He doesn't personally know where the closest entrance to the Labyrinth is, but he know where we can find out."

"Where's that?" Mark asked from the couch.

"The New York public library." Andrew said, causing everyone in the room to groan. "Wow, that's a mature response."

"Libraries suck!" Henry shouted.

"Yeah, well you suck, so deal with it." Andrew shot back.

"Why's Charlie still in there?" Noah asked.

"You know, divine hero business." Andrew said with a laugh.

"What does that mean?" Jesse asked.

"Wow, it must really suck to be the new guy." Henry laughed, "We just keep assuming you know everything we do."

"Yeah, it's hilarious, want to tell me what you mean by divine hero?" Jesse asked, throwing a pillow from the couch at the son of Poseidon.

"Alright but if Charlie asks, tell him that some other guys at camp told you." Henry said, catching the pillow. "Charlie is, according to some omens that the Fates deciphered, is a candidate to be the next divine hero."

"That literally means nothing to me." Jesse said, making everyone (not Mark) laugh. "Care to be a bit clearer?"

"It means he might be the next Heracles." Mark said from the couch. "Heracles is not only the first 'divine hero', he's also the only one ever."

Jesse stared at Mark for a moment, then at the other heroes, waiting for one of them to admit they were joking. "You're serious? Charlie? Our friend Charlie Shepherd? The one in the bathroom right now?"

"Specific enough?" Andrew asked, holding back a smile.

"I mean, Charlie's strong. But Heracles strong?" Jesse asked. The idea of his friend being so powerful both excited and terrified him. "Is that even possible?"

"You saw him kill the Minotaur right?" Derek asked. "What he did isn't normal for a half-blood. And we've seen him do things even more amazing."

"The truth is, the only people we know who could ever hold a candle to him are Andrew, Henry and Oliver." Noah said, "And Charlie's only nineteen, he's only going to grow more powerful."

"Wow," Jesse said, sitting down. "So, being a divine hero. What does that actually mean?"

"Well, Heracles became known as the only hero to be considered an equal to the gods." Andrew said, "And he started the age of heroes. Charlie is apparently going to do even greater things."

"What sort of things?" Jesse asked, completely engrossed in the idea of his friend becoming one of the most powerful heroes in history.

"I'll start by killing anyone who tells other people my business." Charlie said, leaving the bathroom. Jesse felt himself turn beet red, embarrassed to have been talking about Charlie behind his back.

"It's fine guys." Charlie said to the speechless demigods. "He deserves to be on the same page as the rest of us. Mark does too." Still, no one spoke. Charlie sighed, "Well, now that it's out there I'll just say it: I have no intention on leading this quest. Andrew and Henry are in charge, and it's Jesse's prophecy, so they all take precedent over me. I don't want any so-called destiny of mine affecting our quest, so get any ideas like that out of your head."

"Well, if I'm in charge, then lets go to the library." Andrew said, obviously trying to move the focus elsewhere. "Shall we?"

Within minutes, Charlie and Andrew were wearing their new clothes (Andrew wore a new leather jacket and jeans, while Charlie wore a loose button down shirt and khakis) and, like the other heroes, were fully geared for a trip to the library (Jesse noticed that demigods seemed to 'gear up' for any situation the same way they prepared for battle). After a crowded elevator ride the seven heroes were in the lobby of the Arcadia hotel.

Jesse couldn't help but notice the looks he and his friends were getting from the other residents of the hotel. He hid his smile, secretly proud of himself for being included in a group of such famous demigods. He also couldn't help but enjoy the attention he received, especially from the female heroes.

"Eyes forward Cantor." Henry said to Jesse. "There'll be plenty of time for the ladies later."

Jesse grinned, "Sir, yes sir." He saluted, but with his middle finger. "But this does bring up the question: If the people here are heroes, why aren't they at camp?" He asked as they stepped out into the warm June air.

"Well, camp is about training half-bloods to be ready for the outside world." Henry said, "Some heroes go to camp, receive their training, then leave. If they feel they're powerful enough to survive on their own, that is."

Jesse frowned, "Well, if that's true, than why do you still live at camp? Or the rest of us for the matter?"

"Andrew told you about how demigods don't last long, didn't he?" Henry asked, to which Jesse nodded. "That's because the strong ones give off a powerful scent for monsters to follow. Eventually a hero will be tracked down by a monster that'll get the better of him. The seven of us, yourself included, are those kinds of heroes."

Jesse felt his heart drop into his stomach. "You mean, none of us will be able to live a life outside of camp?"

Then, surprising Jesse, Henry smiled slightly, "Usually, yes. But I think that's going to change." He said, stealing a glance to the front of the group, where Andrew and Charlie lead them down the block. "I think that's what Charlie's destiny as the divine hero is. I think he'll make it possible for heroes like us to live without the constant attacks."

Jesse couldn't help but smile too. "How would he be able to do that?"

Henry shrugged, "I have no idea, that's why it's Charlie and not me. But I get the feeling that Charlie is going to change our world for the better. And I intend to help him."

Jesse wasn't sure if such a thing was possible, but seeing Henry's face light up as he talked about a better future for their people made him feel a small spark of hope in his heart.

"Oh, Henry. You said that I was included in the group of powerful heroes. What do you mean by that?" Jesse asked.

"I'm not sure how my statement was unclear." Henry said with a laugh, "You must know by now that your rate of growth is uncommon, even for us."

"Really?"

"Fuck yeah!" Henry said, excitedly. "Jesse, you killed a hellhound before you even knew who your father was! You picked up a bow for the first time in your life two weeks ago and you're already a better shot than Oliver was." Jesse shrugged, but Henry continued.

"And don't forget about the museum!" Henry said, "You are aware of what you did, aren't you? I haven't seen anyone move like that since Oliver! And that's saying something. So stop thinking that you aren't one of us. Chances are that we'll be following your orders one day." Henry clapped his friend on the shoulder and sped up, trying to keep up with the rest of the group, with Jesse right behind him.

After a great deal of walking, and several arguments over where to turn, the group of heroes finally found the New York public library. Two lion statues flanked the stairs, as if standing guard. Jesse checked his watch and saw that it was nearly five.

"Do we have a plan?" Jesse asked, seeing the many civilians entering and exiting the building.

"I doubt we'll need one." Andrew said, leaning against one of the lion statues. "We aren't here for a fight, nor do we expect one. Just a bit of research."

"But we like to bring our weapons anyway." Derek said, making the others laugh. They made their way up the stairs to the building. Jesse noticed that Mark stayed at the end of the line, constantly checking his surroundings.

"Paranoid much?" Jesse asked his body guard.

Mark only shrugged and kept walking. As much as Jesse appreciated Marks concern for his safety, he couldn't help but feel a bit guilty for having someone risking his life to protect him. Deciding not to press the issue, Jesse followed his friends inside.

Once everyone was inside, Andrew lead the group to the information desk, behind which a young man was working intently on a sudoku puzzle.

"Hi, I have a something to research, and we'd like a private room to read in." Andrew said.

"Well, it's your lucky day, because you're in a library." The young man said in a board voice without looking up from his puzzle.

"Well, Jack, I was hoping you could give us a hand," Andrew said, grinning. "Seeing how I saved you from Echidna last year."

The mans eyes shot up from his puzzle and stared at Andrew for a long moment. "ANDREW HELLER!" He shouted, his voice catching the attention of probably everyone in the library. But if the man cared, he didn't show it. He sprung himself over the desk and pulled Andrew into a hug that lifted the son of Zeus off his feet.

Andrew finally got himself to ground level and pulled away from the hug. "It's good to see you too Jack." He said, smiling more than Jesse had ever seen Andrew smile before.

"It's good to see you too." Jack said, "Gods it's good to see you guys." He gave a hug to Charlie, Derek, Noah and Henry, who all seemed just as happy to see him.

"What happened to the finger, Spencer?" He asked, calling Henry by his last name.

Henry laughed, sticking his right pinky out, showing the severed digit. "Lost it a couple years ago. But pinky or no pinky, I can still kick your ass." He laughed and hugged Jack again.

"And who might these boys be?" Jack asked, looking Jesse and Mark up and down.

"Right, sorry." Andrew said. "Jack, meet Mark Wolfram: the son of Hades."

Jacks eyes widened, and he looked Mark up and down again. "So you do exitist. Don't worry, I won't offer to shake hands." He said.

Mark, in a very un-Mark fashion, smiled. "I appreciate it. It's good to meet you, I've actually heard a lot about you, especially concerning you killing the Erymanthain Boar."

Jack only smiled modestly, "Well, we can't leave all the monster killing to Charlie, can we?" He said, making everyone laugh.

"Jack," Andrew said, still laughing. "This is Jesse Cantor, he's the son of Apollo."

Jacks smile dropped from his face, and was replaced by a look of awe. "Well, that's very interesting, isn't it?" He said, shaking Jesse's hand.

"Jesse, Jack is one of the sons of Athena." Andrew said, "A damn powerful one, might I add."

"Well, it's great to meet you." Jesse said, feeling somewhat uncomfortable with how Jack seemed to be studying him. "I haven't heard any stories yet, but I'd love to hear them."

Jack didn't seem to be paying attention to Jesse's pleasantries. "So, you're really the son of Apollo?"

"Unless I've been on Punk'd this whole time, yeah." Jesse said.

"Well, that's very interesting." Jack said, but quickly snapped back to reality. "So, I'm guessing you guys are here for a reason besides a visit. Shall we go to the library?"

Charlie nodded, "If you don't mind. We just need to find some information."

"Wait," Jesse said. "Aren't we already in the library?"

Jack smiled, "I guess you are new!" He laughed. "I'm going to take you to the REAL library. Athena's library for the heroes."

22


	14. Chapter 14

Jesse and his friends followed Jack Near through a hallway of the library, apparently being guided to what Jack called Athena's library for the heroes. Jack looked a few years older than Jesse, probably twenty. He had light brown hair that was combed to the side, giving him an innocent look that failed to fool Jesse. He had intense gray eyes and a lithe body that made Jesse want to stay off Jack's list of enemies.

"Jack, if you don't mind me asking, why'd you leave camp half-blood?" Jesse asked, walking next to the son of Athena.

"I don't mind at all." Jack said, albeit with a sadness in his voice, "When Oliver died, a lot of people thought camp wasn't safe anymore and left. So, a couple of the older campers, myself included, left to do what we can outside of camp."

"Not just any campers." Henry chimed in, "Six of the strongest heroes we had left with Jack to keep the half-bloods outside of camp safe, Jack included."

"I was trying to be modest, Henry." Jack joked, "But yes, as Andrew mentioned earlier, we do occasionally return to help with quests. Last year I helped Andrew take care of a few monsters gathering in Florida, which is when he saved me from Echidna."

"And you still owe me a beer for it." Andrew said, laughing.

Jack rolled his eyes good-naturedly and stopped walking when they reached a door marked 'Employees only'. "Here we are."

Deciding to wait to see what was inside rather than ask questions, Jesse opened the door and let everyone in before following. He was quickly disappointed by the lack of magic the room seemed to have. It appeared to be a simple employee lounge.

"I'm guessing this isn't Athena's library." Jesse said, looking around for a hint of where the library would be.

"Very true, Mr. Cantor." Jack said, "This is just how we get there." Without saying anything else, the son of Athena approached a painting of the Empire State building and took it off the wall, revealing a square control panel. He pressed a quick series of buttons and the room suddenly started shaking. For once, Jesse wasn't the only one to be surprised. All the heroes, excluding Jack, stumbled at the sudden movement.

"Giant elevator." Jack explained as the other heroes straightened themselves and the room moved down a floor. "And don't worry, there's a charm so no one outside of this room can hear it move."

"Maybe a warning would have been appropriate, seeing how there's a cripple on board." Noah said. Jesse watched as the son of Hephaestus placed his cane parallel to his injured leg and pressed a button on the crutch. The cane started to change shape and attached itself to Noah's leg, becoming a leg brace.

"What?" Noah said, seeing Jesse's shocked expression. "How did you think I could use both hands in a fight?"

Before Jesse could respond, not that he had any comeback in mind, the elevator slowed to a stop. There was a soft 'ding', and Jack opened the door, revealing a completely different room than what had been behind the same door previously.

The heroes stepped into a cavernous room, filled with rows of stone bookshelves, each filled with leather-bound books, scrolls and loose parchment. Even Derek, who had never considered himself a fan of books, was amazed by the sight. Lit torches lined the wall, giving the room light and warmth.

Jesse, however, felt uneasy in the room. A feeling of dread stuck with him as he ventured further in. He placed a hand on the hilt of his sword for reassurance, but it didn't do much for him.

"Are you alright?" Mark asked, having noticed Jesse's behavior.

"I'm not sure." Jesse said honestly, "I just don't like being down here I guess."

Mark thought for a moment before responding. "You know, it may have something to do with being underground. The sun is the source of your powers, and you are literally outside of its reach."

Jesse shrugged, "That could be it, but if what you say is true, I'm going to hate being in the Labyrinth." He said, half-joking. Mark could only smile sympathetically.

"Alright, lets spilt up and see if we can find something that could tell us where the entrance would be." Andrew said. He and Jack set off together, while Noah and Derek looked in a different section of the library.

"So, I'm guessing Mark won't want to be partnered with anyone besides Jesse, so Charlie and I will look to the left." Henry said.

"Enjoy the babysitter," Charlie teased before leaving with Henry. Jesse ignored Charlie and, with Mark, started searching the nearest bookcase, which seemed to have once been a giant boulder that had been filed to serve its new purpose.

"I understand that it may be difficult to have a bodyguard," Mark said after a few minutes. "But I feel that it's in your best interest that I stay close."

Jesse shrugged, "I understand why you think that, although I don't think I deserve any sort of special treatment, but I doubt I need protection now. We're with friends."

"That's where we disagree." Mark said, thumbing through several parchments. "The prophecy said that you'd be betrayed by a friend. All I know is that person isn't me, so as far as I'm concerned it could easily be one of your so-called friends."

Jesse put down the book he was inspecting, suddenly angry. "You know, you're very quick to accuse, but what makes you think I don't suspect you?"

"That wouldn't make sense."

"Yeah? How so?" Jesse shot back.

"Because I have you alone right now, and I'm faster than you." Mark said, "I could have killed you and gotten away by now." He gave Jesse a long look, "But seeing how you're still breathing, we're both happy, so let's remain civil."

Choosing not to respond, Jesse spent the next fifteen minutes silently searching for a way into the Labyrinth, a silence that Mark happily mimicked.

"Found something!" Andrew's voice called from the other side of the room. Jesse dropped the book he was translating and ran towards the sound of Andrew's voice, with Mark right behind him. By the time they arrived, the other heroes had reached Andrew and were peering at a scroll that Andrew held.

"You found an entrance?" Jesse asked excitedly.

"We think so," Henry said, clapping a hand on Andrew's shoulders, "Well done ya little nerd!"

"According to this," Andrew said, ignoring Henry, "The nearest entrance is in the Lincoln Tunnel."

"New Jersey?" Jesse asked, faking disgust, "Yuck."

"Well you're going to have to swallow your New Yorker pride and deal with it." Andrew said. "I don't feel like spending anymore time in here."

"Sorry to hear that Andrew." A voice that Jesse didn't recognize said. "But you're going to be staying here for a while."

"Really now?" Henry asked, already activating his trident.

A tall figure stepped from behind a bookshelf, "Sorry about the cliché entrance," the man said, "Couldn't help it."

"Adam?" Andrew said, his face in an expression of shock. "What are you doing here?"

"You aren't the only ones on a quest." Adam said. Jesse could feel an intense power emanating from the young man. He was even taller than Jesse, and much broader. He brushed his raven hair from his eyes, revealing a long whip-like scar running from above his right eye to his collarbone. "You have something we need. Well, more like someone." He stared straight at Jesse.

As he spoke, several more figures started revealing themselves from their hiding places. Mark stepped forward, standing between Jesse and the newcomers.

"Who is this guy?" Jesse asked, afraid of the answer.

"Do you remember the six powerful demigods that left camp I told you about?" Andrew asked. Jesse could hear electricity crackling around his friends body. "This is Adam Katz, one of those six."

"I think you know what we want." Adam said, his eyes not leaving Jesse.

"You'll have to get through me first." Mark said, hands at the hilts of both of his swords.

Adam only sighed, obviously not afraid of the son of Hades. "Yet another cliché line."

Without a warning or signal, Jack Near leapt from Andrew's side and, while in mid-air, kicked Mark fiercely in the temple. Not expecting the blow, Mark was knocked aside easily, crashing into the bookcase several yards away, toppling it.

Jack landed lightly on both feet, pulled a glasses case from his pocket, and slid on the spectacles. Jesse jumped backwards and away from Jack before the man could attack him too, but Jack made no such attempt.

"We really don't want to hurt anyone we don't have to." Jack said calmly. "Just give us Apollo's son."

"Jack, Adam, why are you doing this?" Henry asked, his voice desperate. Although his weapon was drawn and ready, he seemed reluctant to fight.

"You really need to ask that question?" Jack asked, laughing in a twisted way that Jesse would never have expected from him. "How dare you ask us that!"

"Aren't you tired of being ignored by the gods? To only be acknowledged when they need to use you?" Adam asked, holding a spear over his shoulders as his followers gathered behind him. "Was there ever any doubt in anyone's mind that Demeter was my mother?" He asked. As if proving a point, a long vine grew from his sleeve, wrapping around his spear.

"I could do such amazing things that only a child of hers could, and still she refused to claim me!" Adam shouted. "Why worship a parent like that?"

"But again, we shouldn't have to answer that." Jack said, his eyes cold. "Noah understands us, don't you?" Jesse glanced back at his friend, and saw that Noah was looking at the ground, seemingly fighting tears.

"Watch your mouth Jack," Derek said, spinning the hilt of his blessed weapon, turning it into a large sword. "Because I swear on the Styx, if you say anything like that again, I'll make you regret it." The son of Ares stepped forward, passing Jesse, and faced Jack.

As the two heroes stared each other down, Jesse felt a tug on his sleeve. He glanced back and saw Henry mouth the words "BLIND THEM". Jesse nodded that he understood, and jerked his head slightly towards Mark's unconscious body.

Andrew, who had noticed the signaling, scratched his ear, telling the others that he would take care of the son of Hades.

"Now Derek, have you forgotten who taught you how to use that sword?" Jack asked, apparently unaware of the plan his captives were forming.

"I wouldn't worry about Derek if I were you." Jesse said, and grabbed the back of Derek's belt with one hand and covered his friends eyes with the other. Closing his own eyes, Jesse created a burst of light from his body and heard cries of pain from the enemy heroes.

As he dragged Derek blindly behind a bookcase, Jesse could feel Andrew rush past him to retrieve Mark. He heard Derek's sword clatter on the ground and seconds later: gunshots. His heart pumping, Jesse threw Derek behind the bookcase and dove after him, but not before feeling a bullet slam into his left shoulder.

"Ah! SHIT!" Jesse shouted, propping himself against the stone bookcase, clutching his shoulder.

"Are you alright?" Derek asked, his eyes still closed.

"No, I'm not alright! There's a fucking bullet in my arm!" Jesse shouted. He opened his eyes, and saw that the light was dimming, but based on the cries of pain from a few yards away, the enemy heroes were still blind. Jesse took his hand away from his shoulder and saw that there was no blood on his palm. Confused, he looked at his injured shoulder and saw that it wasn't bleeding. Instead of a gaping wound, all he could find was a slight indent on his jacket.

"Thank you Mr. Lion." He said to himself, still in a lot of pain.

Andrew suddenly appeared next to Jesse with Mark over his shoulder. "Ok, they can't see, but the exits are still blocked!" He said. Before he could say anything more, the sound of gunfire pounded their ears. Jesse could feel the bullets strike the bookcase and thanked the gods that the structures were made of thick stone.

He, Derek, Andrew and an unconscious Mark had taken cover behind one bookcase, while Charlie, Henry and Noah had hidden behind the bookcase a few yards away.

"Jesse!" Henry shouted from the other bookcase.

"I'm fine!" Jesse called back, "Bulletproof!" He pointed at his jacket with his right hand, then started buttoning the front of the lion skin garment.

"What's the plan?" Henry shouted over the overwhelming sound of guns.

Andrew thought for a moment. "I counted a dozen of them. Charlie, use your hat to become invisible and sneak behind them."

"Can't!" Charlie shouted, "I left it at camp with my brother!"

"Fuck!" Noah shouted, "How are we supposed to get passed them?"

"I have an idea." Derek said with a calm tone. Jesse looked at his friend and saw that Derek was wearing an expression of pure concentration, as if he was barely aware of the chaos around him. A small trickle of blood came out of his nose.

Henry noticed it too. "Derek, don't do this."

"It's our only shot!" The son of Ares fired back. "Once I have them distracted, loop around and catch them by surprise. But don't move until their attention is on me." The flow of blood coming from Derek's nose was thicker now, and the clatter of bullets were slowing.

"Fine," Andrew finally said, "But someone will have to stay here with Mark."

"I'll do it." Jesse shouted, "Andrew, you need to get behind that bookcase with the others." He pulled his gun from its holster, his left arm too sore to hold his bow. "When I draw their fire, get moving."

Andrew looked back at Jesse, and the son of Apollo saw something in his friends eyes that he never expected: Fear. Suddenly, Andrew was not the strongest hero in the world to Jesse, he was just a teenager in way over his head, just like him. Andrew must have realized that his fear was visible. He nodded and turned away from Jesse, ready to dash across the five yards of open space between the bookcases.

"Wait for them to stop shooting before you go!" Jesse reminded Andrew. He took a deep breath, focusing on the weight of his gun. He stood up and was about to leave the cover of the bookcase, but nerves got the better of him. He paused for a second, his heart pumping faster than he thought was humanly possible. He looked to his right, where Derek was sitting, and saw Oliver standing next to the hero.

"Henry told you that you're one of them." Oliver said. His image flickered and disappeared for a brief second. When his image returned, Oliver was covered in blood. "Prove it."

Jesse felt a surge of energy course through his veins. Forgetting any fear he once had, Jesse faced the stone bookcase and kicked forward with his right leg. The stone structure fell forward and crashed to the ground, leaving Jesse completely open. While the enemy demigods were frozen in shock, Jesse raised his gun and opened fire. Wanting them to take cover rather than fire back, Jesse aimed for the area around each hero, making them hide behind their own bookcases.

From the corner of his eye Jesse could see Andrew dash towards cover, rolling the last yard to dodge a bullet soaring in his direction. By the time Andrew was safe, all of the enemy demigods had taken cover. Knowing they didn't have much time, Jesse looked towards Derek, who had only moved to remain behind the cover of the fallen bookcase.

"If you're going to do something, now's the time." Jesse told his friend. He looked back and saw that one of the heroes had come out from his cover.

Jack Near was holding a shotgun in his hands, aimed straight at Jesse, but had not yet fired. Jesse kept his own gun trained on the son of Athena. He tried to keep a straight face, wanting to hide his fear of actually killing Jack.

"You don't want to kill me, Jesse." Jack said, obviously not fooled. "And you don't want us to kill your friends. So if you just come with us willingly, your friends go free."

"And if I don't?" Jesse asked. He could see Henry staring at him from his left and knew that his friends would never forgive him if he gave himself up.

"Well, if you choose to resist anymore than you already have, we'll kill your friends in front of you." Jack said, "So you have two choices, give up, or shoot me dead and see what happens."

Jesse actually smiled, "That's a tough one." He said, and pulled the trigger.

The 'click' of the empty gun echoed through the stone room. Jesse felt his heart drop. "Shit." He made a move for one of the knives he kept on his belt, but his aching left arm wouldn't obey.

There was a bang, and Jesse felt a something explode against his chest. He was thrown backwards and crashed into the wall behind him. His ears ringing, Jesse could hear Henry shouting his name, but his voice seemed far away. Looking to his right he saw Henry moving towards him, only to be held back by Charlie.

His mind numb, Jesse looked left and saw Derek rising to his feet. Jesse tried to focus, but Derek somehow appeared as a blur. As the son of Ares walked towards him, Jesse realized that he didn't hear gunfire. He looked past Derek and saw that the other enemy demigods were leaving their cover and were standing behind Jack and Adam.

Jesse felt Derek pull him to his feet and bring him to the cover of the bookcase. Unable to help himself, Jesse started laughing, despite the pain in his chest it caused.

"Is something funny?" He heard Derek's far-off voice ask.

"You're like, five feet tall." Jesse said between painful chuckles, "And you're practically carrying me! It's pretty cool."

"I guess it is." Derek laughed, his voice calm. "Well, pay attention. I think you'll like this."

Jesse looked up at his friend, his focus returning. Seeing clearly now, Jesse saw that Derek's entire body seemed to be surround by a blue flame that gave off no heat. Jesse felt the intense power coming from Derek and he suddenly felt the pain of the shotgun blast ebb away, being replaced by pure adrenaline. His senses returning, Jesse realized that Derek's eyes had turned blood red. He felt his jaw drop, and Derek smiled.

"Feel better?" He asked, "Reload, I might need you."

Jesse watched in shock as Derek stood up straight and walked away from him. The hero faced the crowd of demigods unarmed, his sword still lying on the ground at Jack's feet. Jesse watched his friend in silence, fumbling with his gun as he reloaded.

Jack and Adam were the only demigods who seemed unmoved by Derek's appearance. "Learned some new tricks, Derek?" Jack asked.

"Just one." Derek said. The floor beneath his feet had cracked and several of the torches behind him flickered.

Jack smiled and straightened his glasses. "I had always hoped that you would join our cause, Samuels." He said. "We were always close." He took a few steps forward, standing between Derek and his men.

"You brought me to camp." Derek said, "And I still owe you for that. So I'll allow you to leave, and I promise we won't follow you." Jesse felt an incredible surge of power come from Derek like a powerful wind, literally whipping Jesse's hair back. Suddenly the gun in his hand burned hot, and he dropped it.

Jesse tried to pick it up, but the gun still burned in his grip. Leaving it on the ground, Jesse looked towards Henry and the others. Like him, they had dropped their weapons and were watching Derek in awe.

He looked back at Derek and saw that his opponents still held their weapons confidently. "What's going on, Derek?" He called.

"Just stay put Jesse." Derek called back, "All of you."

"The pride of Ares indeed." Adam said, "I haven't seen anything like this since Oliver." He spat the name out as if it were garbage.

"Who did you think taught me?" Derek asked and stepped forward.

As soon as Derek's foot touched the floor, three gunshots sounded. Jesse saw Derek shift slightly, barely dodging each bullet. As if nothing had happened, Derek kept walking towards the group of twelve heroes, his hands behind his back. Jesse's keen eyes saw Derek using his thumbs to give the rings he wore on both hands a quarter turn. Each ring expanded until both of his hands were covered in bronze gauntlets.

"Well, if you won't join us…" Jack said, genuine disappointment in his tone. He raised his shotgun towards Derek's torso and pulled the trigger.

At a speed that Jesse doubted he would ever achieve, Derek shifted to the side, avoiding the shotgun blast. He grabbed the barrel of the gun and wrenched it out of Jack's grip. Wielding it like a baseball bat, Derek struck Jack in the head, dropping him like a stone.

Holding the gun in both gauntleted hands, Derek snapped the shotgun like a twig and tossed it aside. "I guess negotiations are done."

Adam frowned, "I guess so." Without a signal or order, he charged forward, followed by nine other demigods.

As Jesse watched Derek meet the attacking heroes, he knew that what he saw Derek doing should be considered art. Never before had he seen someone weave through his opponents, throwing punches and kicks as if it had been choreographed. Jesse watched as Derek gripped the butt of Adam's spear and used it to knock down three of his opponents.

"What the hell is going on?" A voice said next to Jesse.

Jesse nearly jumped in surprise. Mark had woken up without him noticing. "You alright?" He asked, seeing the gash on the side of Mark's head.

"I'll be fine." He said over the noise of battle. "Why is Derek fighting those guys alone?"

"Great question." Jesse said, not wanting to take his eyes off the battle. "I think Derek is somehow keeping us from helping."

"Must be his god-state." Mark said. He must have known that Jesse wouldn't understand, because he continued. "Particularly powerful heroes are able to tap into their immortal parent's power for a period of time. As you can see, it makes them very strong."

Jesse watched Derek, now having an understanding of what was happening. "Well I guess that sheds some light on what's going on." He said, "I just wish we could help."

"I don't know about you," Mark said, watching Derek slam one of the heroes' head into the floor. "But I have no intention of getting in his way."

Jesse grunted in agreement, Derek was obviously handling the situation fine on his own. Only three of his opponents were still standing, the others bleeding on the floor. Jesse noticed, however, that the flame that surrounded Derek was dimming, and the surges of power coming from him were not as overwhelming as they were a few minutes prior.

But if Derek was tiring, he refused to show it. One of the remaining heroes stabbed at his chest with a sword, but Derek dodged it easily, kicked off of one of the bookcases and downed the demigod with an elbow to the back of his neck. Before the closest enemy could react, Derek grabbed his arm and threw him over his shoulder, slamming him to the ground. With that, the only combating heroes left were Derek and Adam. They stood still for a few seconds, sizing each other up.

"It's a shame you won't join us." Adam finally said.

"Oh, has that been taken off the table?" Derek asked, picking up his sword. "And I was about to change my mind!"

Adam smiled, "I do appreciate you not killing my soldiers."

"Soldiers?" Derek asked.

"Of course!" Adam laughed, "We've been building an army for a long time. All that's left is the war to fight in."

"Focus on one battle at a time, Adam." Derek said. He held his sword in both hands in a battle stance.

"I guess you're right." The fallen hero said. "Shall we?"

Both demigods ran forward at the same time. Adam with his spear pointed towards Derek's neck. Derek holding his sword parallel to his face. Just as the two men were about to meet, another surge of energy burst from Derek, much more powerful than any of those Jesse felt before. Both Derek and Adam were a blur for a split second, and then came back into focus, with Derek now standing behind his opponent.

Adam's spear had been cut twice, the first removing its point, and the second cut slicing the shaft in half length-wise. He looked down at his spear with an expression of amusement.

"Spare the rod, spoil the child, Derek." Adam said, as if scolding him.

"If you insist." Derek said. He swept backwards with his left leg, tripping Adam. As the hero fell, Derek turned around and drove the hilt of his sword into Adam's temple, knocking him out before he hit the ground.

Derek stayed where he was for a few seconds, swaying slightly. His arms hung weakly at his sides, his sword barely remaining in his grip. He looked at the unconscious forms scattered at his feet and sighed. The fire around him slowly disappeared as he leaned against a bookcase and slid to a seated position. More blood flowed from his nose, and some from between his lips, and Derek's eyes reverted to their usual dark brown.

"Hello?" He called weakly. "Are you guys still here?"

Henry came out from behind his cover and rushed over to Derek's side. "Jesus Christ!" He said as the others followed him.

"Please, call me Derek." The son of Ares joked. "Why didn't you guys loop around and surprise them?" He asked, his voice still shaky.

"We tried!" Andrew laughed, "We literally couldn't leave our cover. Every time we tried you'd have another power surge and we'd be knocked off our feet."

Derek grinned, "Figures. I guess I need to work on that part."

Jesse struggled to his feet, still having trouble catching his breath. "Go ahead," He told Mark, who was waiting for him.

"You're ok!" Charlie said when Mark joined them, leaving Jesse behind to catch his breath.

"Yeah I'm fine." Mark said, "Who hit me?"

"He did." Henry said, kicking Jack's motionless form. "Who would've thought?"

"We should get out of here." Noah said, moving to help Derek to his feet. "After seeing what you just did, I'd bet you're on their 'to kill' list."

"Damn straight." Jack said. Before the heroes could register what was happening, Jack sat himself up and drew his gun, aiming straight for Derek.

There was a loud crack of a bullet leaving its cartridge, followed by a spray of blood covering Derek's face.

After a painfully long second of motionless, Jack slumped forward, showing the six heroes the bullet hole that had appeared on the back of his head. Thirty feet behind him was Jesse, his gun shaking visibly in his hand.

No one spoke. Jesse tried to steady his hand, but could not. Instead, he holstered his gun and shoved his hand in his jacket pocket to hide the twitch. "Sorry." He said simply.

"You had no other choice." Henry said after a moment. "Let's go."

Jesse nodded, biting the insides of his cheeks until they bled. His heart was racing nearly as quickly as it was when he fired the bullet that killed Jack. He had done it without thinking, as if it was instinct.

He watched as Henry helped Noah bring Derek to his feet and allowed the son of Ares to lean on his shoulder. Jesse tried not to look at Jack's body, but his eyes were drawn to it. The entry wound on the back of his head was small, but as he walked past Jack's body, Jesse could see the gaping exit wound where Jack's right eye had once been. A destroyed pair of glasses were strewn a few feet in front of the corpse.

"Sorry." He said again, this time to Jack's lifeless form. Forcing himself not to look at the body again, Jesse walked towards the elevator, the pain in his chest from the shotgun blast slowly creeping back.

Once they were all inside the fake employees lounge Noah activated the elevator, and the room started to rise, leaving the scenes of battle behind. They stood in silence for a minute as they waited until Derek spoke up.

"Thanks."

Jesse shrugged, "You were the one who told me to reload."

Derek smiled slightly, "Yeah, I guess so."

The room shook slightly when it came to a halt. The heroes took a moment to put their weapons away and wipe the blood off Mark and Derek's face before exiting. The library was still full of people, apparently none of them had heard the battle that had gone on below them.

Jesse couldn't help but flinch when they passed Jack's desk as they left. A mere twenty minutes before, he had thought that Jack was a friend, maybe even the next hero to join the quest. Now he was dead.

As Jesse and the others left the building, he overheard a whispered conversation behind him.

"I had to carry you to cover when you were knocked out." Andrew's voice whispered. He sounded reluctant, and a bit scared. Jesse kept walking, and listened closely.

"And?" Mark asked.

"Why did Jack say that he wouldn't shake your hand?" Andrew asked, "What happens when someone touches you?"

Mark didn't answer right away. "I think you know." He said, "I'm sorry you had to see that." Jesse waited for Andrew to respond, wanting to know what happened to him, but Andrew didn't say anything else.

The heroes descended the stairs of the library's entrance. Jesse looked at the busy traffic, workers heading home after a day of normalcy. The only person that Jesse saw who didn't seem to be rushing anyplace was a tall man standing at the foot of the stairs. He wore a black business suit and dark sunglasses. His head was shaved, unlike his face.

"Yo." Was all he said to them as the walked down the stairs. He motioned with one hand for them to come over. The heroes exchanged glances and Andrew walked around the other heroes to the front of their line.

"Yo, yourself." He said. Jesse saw that Andrew was tense, but whether it was because of the newcomer or his conversation with Mark, Jesse was not sure.

"I'd like to speak to Rambo if you don't mind." The man said with a smile that Jesse considered frightening. The man removed his sunglasses, revealing blood red eyes.

Derek stepped forward, no longer using Henry as a crutch.

"Hi dad."

A/N: Well there you have it. Probably my favorite scene so far. I've had the idea bouncing around for a few weeks and it feels great to put it on paper. So, lots of new elements have been introduced, hopefully you were paying attention and noticed them. Andrew saw something he wishes he hadn't, Jesse had his first kill (monsters don't count, duh), Derek has introduced something called the 'god-state' and we're starting to paint a picture of who wants children of Apollo dead. Anyway, believe it or not, I care about what you people think of my work, so post a review or I'll cry about it. Also, I created a poll so vote if you want. See you soon (hopefully).

22


	15. Chapter 15

"Hi dad." The exhausted Derek said to the man. Jesse was so surprised he almost forgot to lower his head in reverence to Ares.

Next to him, the other heroes bowed as well, but Jesse noticed that Mark was the only member of his friends that wore an expression of respect. Noah in particular looked furious and was biting his lip as if he was trying to keep himself from saying something to the god of war.

Ares grinned wickedly, "One never grows tired of being worshiped." His laugh sent shivers up Jesse's spine. "Now, Derek. You and I have some catching up to do." Ares said. He turned to his bike and tossed his son one of the helmets that was resting on the seat.

Derek caught it despite his weakened state, but looked reluctant. "Uh, I appreciate that sir, but…I'm kind of on a quest."

"Don't you worry about that." Ares said, taking his seat on the bike. "I'll have you back home with your little friends in no time."

Derek turned and looked at his friends, none of whom voiced any form of protest. With a shrug Derek put on the helmet and joined his father on the motorcycle. The god revved the bike's engine a few times before joining the traffic and speeding away.

Jesse could actually hear his friends from camp exhale with relief when Ares was no longer visible. He saw Noah's shoulders shake, but decided not to question it, yet.

"Everyone ok?" He asked.

"We're fine." Noah answered for everyone. "What's our next move?"

"Well," Henry said. "We can't stay here for one. And we can't leave Derek behind. Back to the hotel?"

"I'll get a cab." Andrew said. "I don't feel like walking."

Within thirty seconds of hailing, two cabs responded to Andrew's raised hand. Jesse couldn't help but laugh to himself, even though it hurt his bruised ribs. "You must be using the Mist somehow to get cabs so quick." He joked.

Andrew smiled, "Nah, I'm just pretty." The six heroes piled into the two cabs, Andrew, Charlie, and Noah in the first, Jesse, Henry and Mark in the second.

The first thing Jesse did before getting in the cab was check the driver, and once again, the cabbie was a partial skeleton. He gave Mark a look from the front seat, but his bodyguard only responded with a shrug and a smile. They rode in silence for a few minutes before Jesse's curiosity finally got the better of him.

"Why were you all so tense when Ares showed up?" He asked, "And what does Noah have against him?" He adjusted the rearview mirror so he could see Henry and Mark's faces. Jesse watched Henry's face fall into a frown.

"Alright," Jesse's friend said, "I'll tell you, but only to keep Noah from saying it himself." Henry took a deep breath, "Noah has that limp because Ares ordered one of his children to cripple him."

Jesse looked away from Henry's reflection, feeling ashamed for asking. He struggled to process the information he had just received.

"Christ…" Jesse said. He knew that his own story was terrible, having seen his mother die, but he couldn't imagine being in Noah's shoes, having to get up every morning knowing that a member of his family had ruined his life.

"Why?" Jesse asked.

"Why did Ares give such an order?" Henry asked. "It was revenge. Hephaestus had caught Ares with Aphrodite again. You'd think he would have gotten used to it by now, but Hephaestus still gets pissed. So that time he messed with Ares' throne so that he couldn't sit down without slipping off. So Ares got angry and decided to cripple Hephaestus' favorite son."

"We still don't know who it was, specifically." Henry continued. "Noah crushed his attacker's hand before he got away, but we haven't had any luck finding the son of a bitch."

Jesse sighed, "So Noah hates Ares, but he and Derek are still so close?"

Henry nodded, "Yeah, well, Derek is ashamed that a sibling of his would do something like that, orders or no orders, so he promised Noah that he'd find out who did it."

Jesse stared out the window of the cab. He couldn't believe that he knew so little about Noah, not to mention his other companions. How could have not have been curious about Noah's past until it was right under his nose? Jesse chalked it up to his own selfishness, and silently promised himself to learn more about his friends.

"You already knew, didn't you?" He asked Mark, not accusingly.

"Like I said in the hotel," Mark answered, "I did my research."

Jesse nodded. After looking at Mark he had suddenly remembered the conversation he had overheard between the son of Hades and Andrew. Obviously, Andrew had experienced some kind of vision when he touched Mark's bare skin. Whatever he had seen, it had shaken Andrew pretty badly.

"Listen," Henry said, interrupting Jesse's train of thought, "I'll let Noah know that I told you. As much as he'll deny it, it's hard for Noah to talk about what happened to him."

"The last thing I want to do is upset anyone." Jesse said as the taxi pulled over in front of the Arcadia Hotel. Mark paid the cabbie as Jesse and Henry climbed out, the red glow of the setting sun shining into their eyes. In front of their cab, Andrew, Noah and Charlie were waiting for them. Jesse tried not to stare at Noah, more specifically: his cane. As he walked towards the door, Jesse was cruelly reminded of the fight they had just left by a throbbing pain in his chest where the shotgun pellets had crashed into his bulletproof jacket.

Even though he tried to hide his pain, Jesse was quickly assisted by Henry and Andrew, who jumped to his side and helped him walk inside. Jesse felt his face burn red as everyone inside the lobby of the hotel stared at him as he was practically carried to a chair.

As his friends took their own seats, Jesse scanned the main room of the hotel. It was just after six, and it seemed that most of the residents were in the lobby, either just arriving, or about to leave. He wasn't surprised to see that most of the demigods there were young, mostly in their late teens, but a few were in their early twenties.

He wasn't surveying the crowed out of curiosity, however. After what had happened in the library, he couldn't help but be suspicious of anyone he didn't already know. He could tell that his friends were doing the same thing. As soon as he got comfortable, however, Jesse could feel the pain in his chest ebb away slowly. He wondered if, like his bed, the hotel was charmed to help heroes recover from their injuries.

"Do you think we'll be safe here?" Henry asked the group.

"Yes, and no." Mark said as he signaled for a serving satyr, "We're in a public area, so hopefully anyone who's out for us won't want to take us on when there are so many witnesses. But on the other hand, we all thought that Jack was a friend."

Jesse looked at his hands when Mark mentioned Jack's name. Once again, his right hand was shaking slightly. He could almost feel the gun he had used to kill Jack in the palm of his hand. Jesse looked back at Mark and saw that his bodyguard also had an expression of guilt, although Mark hid it better than he did.

An idea forming in his mind, Jesse spoke up, "Well, it isn't like any of us could have seen it coming." He said, watching for Mark's reaction.

The son of Hades looked back at Jesse and shrugged, not giving Jesse any emotions to work with. Jesse could not push aside his suspicion that Mark had known that Jack was not their friend.

The serving satyr arrived at their table, interrupting Jesse's train of thought. Mark ordered each of them a beer, sending the waiter off quickly so they could finish their conversation. Jesse wanted to keep pressing Mark on the issue, but was reluctant to draw the other's attention to it, so he changed the subject.

"I'm guessing they don't care that we aren't twenty-one." Jesse joked.

"Nope, sixteen is the legal age for demigods." Andrew assured him, "Back to the topic at hand though. Is it still safe to enter the Labyrinth by way of the Lincoln Tunnel? Adam may have overheard us." None of the heroes responded at first, waiting for the satyr to finish setting down their drinks.

"I'm no strategist," Noah began, pausing to taste his beer. "But I'd say we stay here for a day or two while Adam and his so-called 'soldiers' wait for us at the entrance of the Labyrinth, assuming they know where we're headed. After a few days, they'll figure that we've found a new way in and look for us wherever that may be."

"No complaints here." Charlie said, "But if we're going to hunker down, we'll have to be battle ready at all times. I don't want to be caught off guard again."

There were nods of agreement, and for a short time the only sounds coming from their group were the sounds of bottles being placed on the table.

"Andrew," Jesse started, "you mentioned to me when Jack was bringing us downstairs that six half-bloods left camp after Oliver died to help protect half-bloods outside of camp."

"Yeah." Andrew said, "They were known as the Six. Kind of like the dream team for quests."

Jesse took another sip of beer, which he secretly hated. "Well, two of those six turned out to be forming an army of renegade demigods."

"Talk about plot-twists." Charlie chimed in.

"What are you getting at, Jesse?" Henry asked, leaning forward in his seat.

"What about the other four?" Jesse asked, "Maybe they're involved too."

"You think the rest of the Six were involved in a plot to raise an army?" Noah asked. "I'm not so sure about that."

"Because you know them?" Jesse cut in, "You guys knew Jack."

"Well, my girlfriend is one of them." Charlie said, not angrily, "So I'm hoping you're wrong."

"And so is my ex." Mark said, "And Ashley wouldn't do anything like that."

Jesse stared intently at his beer bottle, embarrassed. "I didn't mean to accuse anyone." He started, "I'm just trying to consider every possibility."

"It's a good thought." Henry said, jumping to Jesse's defense. "A very good thought, actually. While Amanda and Ashley may not be involved, that doesn't mean Robert and Fritz aren't."

"Has anyone had any contact with any of 'the Six'?" Jesse asked.

Mark frowned, "Last time I talked to Ashley was mid-May. So a bit over a month ago." He set down his empty beer, "I called her a few days ago, now that you mention it, but she hasn't gotten back to me."

"Well she IS your ex." Andrew said, jokingly.

"I still get letters from Amanda." Charlie said, "She never mentioned anything about a rebel army though. Mostly naked pictures." The others laughed, but Jesse couldn't tell if Charlie was joking.

"I talked to Jack last year." Andrew said, a hint of regret in his voice, which made Jesse wince. "And Adam, Fritz and Robert have been off the grid for much longer. I figured they were on the west coast."

"So, if we pull all of our information together," Charlie said. "We know nothing."

Henry took a long drink, finishing his beer. "Just about."

"I'll drink to that." Noah said, raising his bottle. "And if we're stuck here, we might as well keep drinking." The others laughed and raised their bottles as well.

"Waiter!" Jesse called to the bar. "Another round!"

The free drinks helped put the heroes in a better mood. Even Jesse could feel the guilt of killing Jack slip from his mind, if only temporarily, by the third round of drinks. But what refused to go away was his suspicions of Mark. Trying to distract himself, Jesse checked his watch and saw that it was half past seven.

"Guys, when exactly is Derek going to be back?" He asked.

"What, you missed me that badly?" A voice called from the lobby doors.

The six demigods spun in their seats and saw that Derek was standing at the entrance. "DEREK!!" All but Mark shouted. The son of Hades merely raised his glass to Derek.

The son of Ares seemed to have completely recovered from his fight, able to walk steadily on his own. "Can't believe you guys started without me!" He said jokingly.

"Barely." Noah said, sliding over to make room on the couch for his friend. "How was the family reunion?" Noah asked. Jesse took a drink, impressed with Noah's ability to put aside his feelings for Ares for Derek's sake.

"It was…interesting." Derek said, a cautious smile on his face. "I mean, I've met him once back when I was a kid, but this time he was actually congratulating me on my fight." Derek wiped a fake tear from his eye, "Papa said he was proud!"

The others groaned good-humouredly, and Henry threw some of the pretzels left at the table at Derek. Jesse filled Derek in on their plan, or lack there of, as Noah got Derek a drink.

"Alright, Derek." Jesse said once a beer was in his friend's hand. "You have to tell me what the hell you did in the library."

Derek laughed, "Ever hear of a 'god-state'?" He asked, taking a sip.

Jesse nodded, "Yeah, Mark mentioned it to me. You have to be badass to get it, right?" The others laughed.

"Something like that." Derek said, "Oliver re-discovered it a couple years back, and when I was fourteen, I found out that I was able to tap into it. Oliver helped me control it completely."

Jesse whistled seductively at Derek, making Henry choke on his beer. "Sexy." He said, laughing. "Can anyone else?"

"Sort of," Andrew answered. "I have some control over it. Oliver was gone by the time I discovered it, so I couldn't get any help on it."

"So when you deep-fried the lion, you were using your god-state?" Jesse asked. Andrew nodded.

"Henry's a bit further along than I am, though." Andrew continued.

Jesse looked at his friend, who shrugged modestly.

"You tapped into it at the museum," Henry said, "I think you know what I'm talking about."

Jesse did, remembering how he had seemed to slow down time. He couldn't help but feel a bit proud to be able to reach such a rare level of strength.

"Truth is," Noah said, "the only one who can't access it at all is Charlie."

Jesse looked at Charlie, completely surprised. "You're slacking off!" He joked, "Maybe Derek should be the next 'divine hero' instead!"

"Hey, I'm more than willing to trade." Charlie said, obviously not bothered by the joke.

"Yeah…Pass." Derek answered.

As the evening progressed, the bar area became more crowded. Demigods of various ages sat at the many tables, every one of them constantly looking back at Jesse's table, obviously having noticed the famous demigods that sat with him. Several times, younger demigods came to their table and asked for an autograph or a picture. At one point, a young hero approached Jesse. Thinking that the kid wanted an autograph, Jesse asked his friends for a pen, but the boy only asked Jesse who he was, and why he was with the other heroes.

"Ah, to be an unknown." Mark said as the other heroes roared with laughter, "You get used to it. Trust me, I've been one for nearly twenty years. Now can we order some god-damn food?"

After an hour of drinking, eating and good conversation within the group, Jesse and his friends left their table to talk to the other occupants of the lounge, more specifically: the women. Jesse, however, chose not to partake in the ritual of pick-up artists. He stood at the bar, drink in hand, and watched his friends.

He had realized in the cab that he knew close to nothing about his friends, both in regards to their past, and their personalities. Jesse blamed this on his own self-centeredness and the constant attention he had received at camp and from his friends. He couldn't help but admit that despite how little he knew about his companions, he felt closer to them than he had any of his friends back when the world was simple. Jesse couldn't help but wonder if it was because they had been through so much together, or something more. They weren't just his friends, they were, quite literally, his family.

Andrew, the reluctant leader, was modest even in the presence of strangers. As one of the most famous heroes in the world, he had gathered the attention of nearly a dozen heroes, simply because of his name. Jesse watched the son of Zeus nod patiently as three girls gushed over him, explaining how they heard about his many adventures.

But Jesse knew better than to assume that Andrew was the poster-boy of the demigods. Andrew had scared Jesse when he tried to refuse treatment after being shot in the museum., claiming that he deserved to be the one to die on the quest. Jesse had no idea why their leader would want to die, but he had a feeling that Andrew was hiding something from the others. Jesse remembered Charlie hinting that Andrew was an older brother, to which the others reacted as if Andrew would strike Charlie. He couldn't help but wonder if Andrew's possible failure as a brother and his death wish were connected.

Across the room was the closest thing to a polar-opposite Andrew had. Henry was having a private conversation with a pretty girl, telling an animated story about one of his quests with Oliver. Outgoing and strong, Henry was (in Jesse's opinion) what every hero should aspire to be. Jesse grinned, if he had a best friend in the group, it was Henry. Always there for him, Jesse knew that if it would help the quest, Henry would lie down in front of traffic for him. Henry's unrelenting faith in the gods, and in Oliver, kept Jesse assured that Henry would always be a loyal friend and ally. He remembered Oliver's warning three day before, about how Jesse would one day lose Henry, and how the son of Poseidon's story was a tragic one. Jesse pushed the thought aside and finished his drink.

Jesse scanned the room and saw Charlie, who was literally standing on a chair, entertaining a crowd of heroes with a guitar he had stolen from the hotel. Jesse laughed at the sight, he still had trouble believing that his friend Charlie was predicted to be the next 'divine hero'. Jesse had no doubts in Charlie's strength, he just couldn't believe that Charlie would be able to put his good-natured personality and sense of humor aside and take the job seriously.

Jesse remembered the events in the museum that occurred two days prior. Charlie had been reluctant to leave the group behind to save Caleb and his mother, and only left at the mention of his brother, Billy. Back at camp, Jesse had noticed that Charlie treated the six year old like a son. Jesse had once walked in on Charlie tutoring his brother on his reading. Jesse couldn't help but feel somewhat jealous of the brothers. He was sure that they had both experienced tragedy in their lives, as many heroes do, but at least they had someone in their lives they could call family, with or without the gods.

Booing Charlie from the side were Noah and Derek. The two best friends were leaning against a wall, drinks in their unsteady hands. Both heroes were mysteries to Jesse. Despite his handicap, Noah was overwhelmingly powerful, not to mention an artist. Jesse could tell that the son of Hephaestus considered friendship more important than pride, and admired Noah for it.

Jesse had seen Noah turn the other cheek when insulted, for the sake of keeping the peace, something that Jesse doubted he could do. He always thought of others before himself, using his amazing skills to take a supporting role in the quest. Jesse could only hope that Noah knew how invaluable he was.

Had Jesse never seen Derek fight, he would have never guessed that he was the son of Ares. Jesse knew that Derek was confident in his abilities, and quite possibly the best fighter among them, and he respected Derek's willingness to not take a leading role on their quest.

Although he had joked about his meeting with his father, Jesse could tell that Derek was secretly thrilled that his father had arrived. Jesse understood Derek's discretion, he didn't want to risk hurting his best friend's feelings. Jesse smiled, promising himself to one day ask Derek what it's like to meet the father who was never there.

And, finally, still sitting in the same chair he was when they started drinking, was Mark. Five demigods were sitting with him, watching as Mark flipped a coin twenty times, not once landing on tails. Jesse had overheard heroes on the other side of the bar talking about Mark a few minutes before, and learned that Mark had only been known to the half-blood world for a bit over year, but his lineage was unknown. After hearing this, Jesse winced, remembering that they had told Jack who Mark's father was, and hoped that Jack died before revealing it to his allies.

Unlike the other heroes Jesse was questing with, he knew that if he was to ask Mark about himself, he wouldn't receive an answer, not right away at least. Jesse knew that Mark used his Goth-like appearance to draw attention away from his true self. Whatever was beneath the surface of the powerful half-blood was his own business. As much as he liked the demigod, Jesse knew that he would have to find out more about him if he wanted to consider him a true ally.

Jesse sighed and wished he could wake up from this nightmare and go back to the days when the only thing he worried about were SATs.

"Can I get you another?" The man behind the bar asked. Jesse turned and realized that the bartenders must have switched shifts. The new server was in his late twenties and seemed to be human, unlike the satyr he replaced.

Jesse read the bartender's name card. "Thanks, Warren."

Warren nodded and opened another beer for Jesse and replaced the empty bottle in front of the hero. Jesse drank from the bottle as he looked at the crowd of demigods.

"Do you get busy nights like this a lot?" He asked the bartender.

"If only." Warren laughed, "Whenever a famous demigod rolls in, they usually draw a crowd. But you guys really have a fan base. It's been a while since so many people have come in here."

Jesse laughed, "Yeah, my friends seem to draw a lot of attention, whether we want it or not."

"I can imagine." Warren said, "Oliver was the same way." Jesse rolled his eyes as Warren served some other demigods. He was growing tired of everyone's devotion to the fallen hero.

"You knew Oliver?" Jesse asked when the bartender returned.

"I'm a bartender, I know everyone." Warren said with a smile, "But I did know Oliver, better than most I'd say."

"You know, I see the resemblance," Warren continued, looking Jesse up and down. "But you're still very different from him."

Jesse thought for a moment before responding. "How'd you know he was my brother?"

Warren shrugged, "Because he used to talk about you." He answered simply. "Unless you AREN'T Jesse Cantor, in which case I'd be very embarrassed."

Jesse laughed behind his drink, "No, you have the right guy. And I thought nobody knew me yet."

"Most people don't." Warren answered, "But then again, I'm not most people."

"Then who are you?" Jesse asked, his curiosity about the man growing. "Are you a demigod?"

"If only!" Warren exclaimed, "But no, I'm not. Excuse me for one second." Warren went to the other side of the bar, fixing up several drinks for other customers.

Jesse watched the mysterious bartender walk away, "Who is that guy?" He asked himself. He didn't expect an answer.

"You know, a couple years back, I sitting right where you are, asking the same question." Oliver's voice came from next to Jesse.

Jesse spun around and saw that his half-brother's image was seated on the barstool next to him. Jesse sighed and tried to slow his racing heart.

"You REALLY need to stop sneaking up on me like that." He said, turning back to the bar, not wanting people to see him seemingly talk to himself.

Oliver ignored him, "I see you've met Warren."

"That I have." Jesse said, "Who exactly is he? He seems… I don't know, different."

"Do you remember when I told you about the man who could answer all your questions?"

Jesse thought back to the night in the forest, when Henry had fallen from his Pegasus and Oliver had appeared to him. "Warren?" Oliver nodded.

"But he says he isn't a half-blood." Jesse said, "If he isn't a demigod, what is he?"

Oliver seemed somewhat reluctant to answer, "I've come to the conclusion that he's God."

Jesse stared at the prophet for a moment. "He's a god? Which one?"

"You misunderstand." Oliver said patiently. "I think he's GOD. Capital G."

Before Jesse could respond to the claim, Warren had returned.

"Before you form an opinion, be aware that Oliver has always had a vivid imagination." Warren said, stuffing a tip into his breast pocket.

Jesse froze and looked at Oliver in shock.

"Exhibit A!" Oliver said, waving a hand towards Warren. He sighed and disappeared.

Jesse made sure his brother was really gone and looked back at the bartender. "You can see him?" He asked.

"Who? Oliver?" Warren asked, feigning innocence. "No, I can't."

"But you knew he was there!" Jesse accused.

"Seeing that something is there is different than KNOWING that something is there." Warren said.

Jesse stared Warren down for a few seconds. "Oliver thinks that you're God." He said.

"Yes, I know." Warren said, sounding exhausted by the thought. "I really don't know how he got that idea."

"Well, are you human?" Jesse asked.

"Not exactly."

"Are you in any way related to the gods or titans?"

"I certainly hope not."

"Yeah…" Jesse laughed. "I'm starting to agree with Oliver." He said, half-joking.

Warren only rolled his eyes and handed Jesse another beer, while getting one for himself. "Well, if we're going to continue our conversation, I'd very much prefer you didn't treat me as God."

"Fair enough." Jesse said and raised his beer, meeting Warren's with a soft 'clink'. "I'll stop asking who, or what, you are." Jesse said after taking a drink. "But I do feel compelled to ask why you're here."

Warren seemed to contemplate his answer before responding. "Let's just say I have three jobs. This is the only one I like."

Jesse smiled, "Let me guess. You won't tell me the other jobs because they're none of my business."

"On the contrary." Warren said. "You are one of the reasons I'm here. I just can't tell you everything yet."

Even in his slightly-drunk state of mind, Jesse snapped to attention. "What are you talking about?"

"Mr. Cantor, you seriously underestimate your importance to the future of your race." Warren said, his voice now completely serious. "You are one of the main characters in this story! Without you, the world as we know it will change. And not for the better."

Warren's words registered in Jesse's mind in such a way that he knew, with complete certainty, that they were the truth. He felt himself sober up as he talked to the bartender.

"But what am I supposed to do?" Jesse asked desperately, "None of us know what's going on! It's as if everyone has it out for us!"

Warren nodded sympathetically, "You're in a war, Jesse. One with more than one enemy, and many more battlefields."

Jesse lowered his head. He wasn't sure if he agreed with Oliver, but he knew that Warren was someone who knew more than the rest. "What do you need me to do?" He asked.

"You need to see this through." Warren said, "And the only way to do that is to take it one step at a time. You were destined for this job for a reason, Jesse. Just do what you know is right, if you do that you can't have regrets."

Jesse nodded, "I'm guessing you can't tell me who it is I need to stop."

Warren smiled sadly, "If I do that things won't play out the way they were written. And trust me, if all goes well, the end of the story will be amazing." Jesse only nodded and returned to his drink.

"I will answer the only question you care about, though." Warren said, "All you have to do is ask."

Jesse chuckled, "Did Sally Thompson like me back in Jr. High?"

Warren only stared at Jesse, as if waiting for him to ask the real question.

Jesse sighed, giving in. "Can I trust Mark?"

Warren smiled, "Yes you can. He will be loyal to you until your story ends. But that doesn't mean you won't have to press him for information."

Jesse only nodded and staring at his half-full bottle, processing the information.

"Well," Warren went on, "My shift is over. We'll be in touch."

Jesse looked up from his drink to ask Warren another question, but the 'man' was gone.

"You look like you've seen a ghost." Mark said, having sat down next to Jesse.

"I feel like it." Jesse said. They sat together for a few minutes in silence, finishing their drinks and watching Charlie play another song on the stolen guitar.

"Something on your mind?" Mark finally asked after watching Jesse absent-mindedly try to drink from his empty beer bottle for the second time.

"Yeah, actually." Jesse said, "I'm tired of being the only one out of the loop."

"That's understandable." Mark said, "I might be able to help with that."

"I know you can." Jesse said, "I want to know everything about the big names in the demigod world, especially anyone I've met since I joined camp."

"You mean-" Mark started.

"Yeah, included our friends on the quest." Jesse interrupted. "Someone I know is going to betray us, I don't want to be caught off guard."

Mark finished his beer and set the bottle down on the bar. "I can do that. But on one condition."

"What would that be?" Jesse asked, already knowing what Mark would say.

"I don't have to tell you a damn thing about myself." Mark said, staring Jesse down.

"Fine, I won't ask about what you've been up to or where you've been the past twenty years. But you will tell me what Andrew saw when he touched you." Jesse said. He saw Mark flinch at his words.

"Please." Mark said, his dark eyes pleading. "Don't make me do that. You don't want to know."

"Oh, I want to know." Jesse went on, "I want to know so badly that if you don't tell me, I'll tell the others that you knew Jack was a traitor."

Mark froze, blood draining from his face. "I don't know what you're talking about." He said, but his eyes seemed to disagree.

"Cut the shit Mark, I can tell when people are lying." Jesse said, "Apollo is the god of truth, after all." Mark's shoulders slumped, and Jesse knew he was right.

"If it's any comfort," Jesse said, "I know you aren't the traitor. I just don't know why you didn't tell us about Jack."

Mark looked around, as if making sure the other members of the quest weren't close enough to overhear them. "The only reason I didn't say anything was that I was still trying to show you guys that I'm on your side! If I had accused Jack of forming a rebel army intent on killing you what would your friends think? They'd think I was trying to pit them against each other!"

"I swear, if I had known that he would call for back up I would have told you." Mark beseeched, "But I can't tell the others the truth now! They'd think I was with Jack the whole time."

Jesse nodded, "I know they would. Which is why I suggest you tell me what I want to know." He stared straight back at Mark, his heart racing the whole time. He struggled not to flinch at Mark's imposing appearance. Jesse wasn't used to threatening people and hoped that his nervousness wouldn't show.

Mark slumped in his seat, "Fine. As long as you know that I'm on your side, I guess I'll have to play by your rules."

Jesse exhaled slowly, trying not to show his relief. "First, how did you know about Jack?"

Sighing, Mark relented. "Like I told you, when Oliver told me about you and what I had to do, I did some research. I learned as much as I could about anyone who could play a part in whatever the hell was about to happen."

"After Oliver died, I left home and started gathering as much information as I could." Mark went on. "Eventually, I met Ashley Flynn. One of the six."

"She isn't part of this, is she?" Jesse asked, wondering if Mark had lied earlier when he denied Ashley's involvement.

"The opposite." Mark answered, "When we were… traveling together, we found out about Jack and what he was doing."

"What about the rest of the Six?" Jesse asked, "Like Charlie's girlfriend?"

Mark shrugged, "I have no idea. They aren't easy to find, you know. We could only confirm that Jack was a big part of it, and apparently Adam is too."

"So why didn't you tell the camp?" Jesse asked, "I'm sure they would have helped."

"We wanted to!" Mark said, "But think about what we'd be reporting. We'd be telling the camp that one of their strongest allies is a traitor. And if that isn't enough, the chances of a camp of demigods trusting a son of Hades over their friend are unlikely."

Jesse nodded, understanding Mark's reasoning. "I understand, but that doesn't mean they will." He said, jerking his head towards Andrew and the others. "So how about you tell me what I want to know?"

Mark sighed and his shoulders slumped, making him seem weaker than the Mark that Jesse knew. He tugged on his sleeves, pulling them back to reveal his heavily tattooed forearms. "These tattoos are actually Greek enchantments. Because of them, my curse doesn't effect mortals or weaker half-blood" Mark said, tracing the intersecting lines with his index finger. "But if a powerful demigod touches me, like you or Andrew, I can't stop it."

Jesse suppressed his urge to reach out and touch his bodyguard's arm, not wanting curiosity to get the best of him. "And would happen if we did? What did Andrew see?" He asked, almost afraid of the answer.

Mark looked at his feet and covered his arms with his sleeves self-consciously. "When Andrew carried me back in the library… He saw how he's going to die." Mark exhaled loudly, "And I saw it too."

A/N: BOOM. Cliffhanger much? To be honest, I wasn't planning on leaving ya'll hanging like this, but I saw the word count and figured I should wrap it up. Well, Jesse (and the readers, hopefully) learned a lot about the other heroes, and a mysterious new character has been introduced. Pretty much this chapter was just a way for me to set you guys up for what's coming up, but also teach you guys a bit about the other guys on the quest. I hope to get the next chapter up sometime next week, but no promises. What I CAN promise is that if you post a review I'll be super happy. I'll be even happier if you guys vote on the poll on my profile. Would that effect the story? Probably not, but who knows? Anyway guys, thanks for the support, especially those who put me on their alert pages. Keep it real, and may the force be with you.

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	16. Chapter 16

Jesse woke up suddenly and painfully. He jolted up to a seated position, wondering where he was, and then instantly lay back down, a massive headache taking over all feeling. As he clutched his head Jesse promised himself never to drink again, as he always did the morning after a particularly fun night. As soon as the pain in his head faded slightly, Jesse tried sitting up again, this time he was successful. His jacket slid down to his feet and Jesse realized that he had used the lion-skin as a blanket. At the foot of his bed was his quiver, now in the form of as duffel bag, overturned as if it had been carelessly tossed there.

He looked towards the bed next to his own and judged that Henry had slept elsewhere, considering the bed was perfectly made. He put his face in his hands, but quickly pulled away, discovering his palms smelled of vomit. Gagging, Jesse tried to remember what had happened the night before, but couldn't recall anything after his conversation with Mark. As he remembered seeing Oliver and meeting the mysterious bartender, Warren, he heard a noise in the living room.

Careful not to move too quickly, Jesse eased himself to his feet and walked towards the door, shielding his eyes from the sun glaring at him accusingly from the window. He opened the door and entered the living room, seeing Charlie sitting alone on the couch with 'his' guitar.

Charlie looked up from the guitar and saw Jesse. "You look like you're having the best morning of your life." He commented sarcastically.

"Very funny." Jesse said, only then realizing that he was still wearing his clothes from the day before. "Where's Henry? He didn't sleep in our room last night." He asked, taking off his old shirt and placing it on floor to clean later. He realized that in his drunken state, he had forgotten to put his gun and bow away.

Charlie grinned, "He didn't come back last night. Neither did Mark." Charlie wagged his eyebrows suggestively. "Me thinks they got lucky."

"Well that makes them cooler than us." Jesse said, placing his pistol, holster and bow on the coffee table.

"Matter of opinion, bro." Charlie said, strumming a chord on the guitar. "I'm perfectly fine being in a monogamous relationship. I'm not a Neanderthal like those playboys Henry and Mark."

Jesse rolled his eyes. "I dunno Charlie, I could imagine you wearing animal skin and dragging a club around."

Charlie laughed and threw a guitar pick at his friend, "I'll try not to read too deep into that. But in the meantime: take a shower, you reek."

Jesse laughed and walked to the bathroom, "Your A-string is out of tune, by the way." He called as he started closing the door, unsure of how he knew that.

Jesse undressed quickly and turned on the shower. As he stepped into the steaming stream of water Jesse looked down at his chest and saw several apple-sized bruises where the shotgun pellets had struck his thankfully armored chest. As he felt his aching shoulder, Jesse remembered what had happened in the library, and how he killed Jack. The memory, combined with the amount he had to drink the night before, proved too much for Jesse, and he vomited, somehow able to make it to the toilet before puking in the shower.

Panting, Jesse flushed the toilet and wiped his mouth before returning to the shower. Reveling in the scalding water, Jesse washed his hair and body. As much as he enjoyed the shower, Jesse wanted to find Mark as soon as possible and make sure the son of Hades remembered what Jesse had asked of him the night before.

He turned off the shower as soon as he stopped smelling like beer and covered himself in a towel. After brushing his teeth with one of the complimentary toothbrushes, he left the bathroom, his dirty clothes under his arm.

Charlie was no longer alone in the living room. Derek and Noah had joined him, both looking just as haggard as Jesse had. Derek could only manage to grunt a greeting towards Jesse when he greeted them. Jesse laughed and checked his watch, reading that it was almost two in the afternoon.

"Should we be worried about Henry and Mark?" He asked the others.

"Nah," Charlie said, "I'm sure they used protection."

Noah punched Charlie in the arm, "I think Jesse is referring to the fact that we don't know who we can trust. Henry could have gone back to a girls room without knowing she was trying to kill us." Jesse noticed that Noah did not express his concern for Mark's safety, but chose not to comment.

"Well if that's the danger, then it's possible we're all screwed." Derek said, his head back and his eyes closed. "Andrew has someone in our room."

"Is that why you slept on our floor?" Noah asked, laughing.

"We should be fine though." Derek said, ignoring Noah's comment. "I saw the girl he brought back here. Probably a daughter of a minor god, nothing we couldn't handle, if needed that is."

Jesse nodded and went back into his room to change. It seemed like the cleaning Nymphs had put all of the clothes Mark had purchased for them in the closets. Putting on a loose button down shirt and jeans, Jesse sat on the edge of his bed, rubbing his temples. Fighting his hangover, Jesse tried to process the information he had gained the night before. Although his memory was hazy, he could remember meeting the bartender, Warren, and Oliver visiting him. His dead brother had told him that Warren wasn't a mortal, or a Greek god, but God himself.

Jesse shook his head, hangover or no hangover, there was no way he would be able to figure out that particular mystery. After denying Oliver's claims, Warren had told Jesse that he was there to make sure Jesse played his destined role in the upcoming war.

Jesse had trouble believing that he could possibly be so important to his race. He was fine being a soldier for their cause, and it seemed that there were plenty of heroes better suited for his role. His mind went straight to Andrew, and he remembered his conversation with Mark, and how he had confided in him.

"What?" Jesse had asked, unable to believe what Mark had just told him.

"Whenever a being who is stronger than the enchantments on my arms touches me, we both see how they die." Mark answered, his eyes pointedly looking towards the floor. Jesse thought he could see tears beginning to form.

"So you and Andrew know how he'll die?" Jesse had asked, turning to look at their leader. Andrew was still being mobbed by several demigods, most female, answering the questions they hurled at him. "When will it happen?"

Mark shook his head, "I can't tell you that." Jesse was about to protest, but Mark had interrupted him. "No, literally. I physically can't tell anyone. I don't know how it works, but I can't verbalize it, or even write it down."

Jesse struggled to remember anything after his conversation with Mark, but the only thing he could recall was the word 'tequila'. He could only hope that Henry and Mark were safe, and that he had managed to make it through the night without embarrassing himself.

There was a loud knock on his door and Derek entered. "Charlie and Noah went downstairs to get some breakfast. You hungry?" He asked.

Jesse nodded, "I am. But first: I've been meaning to talk to you. You have a second?"

"Uh, yeah." Derek said, curious. He sat on Henry's bed across from Jesse. "If this is about Jack-"

Jesse waved his hand, cutting him off. "No it's not about that." The memory of shooting the rebel demigod in the back of the head flashed through Jesse's mind, but he shook it off. "It's about the god-state."

Derek seemed to relax slightly. "What about it?"

"You said Oliver taught you." Jesse said, "Do you mind telling me why?"

Derek thought for a moment with a pained expression, Jesse suspected that his friend wasn't feeling too well either. "Well, it was four years ago. I… I owed him a favor. And when I asked how I could repay him, he said that he wanted me to reach the god-state."

Jesse frowned, he hadn't missed Derek's hesitation to reveal why he was indebted to Oliver, but he chose to ignore it for the time being. "But he didn't say why?" Jesse didn't doubt Derek's strength, but he didn't think Oliver would teach Derek something so dangerous without a good reason.

"He did, and I doubt I'll ever forget it." Derek said. "He told me that he won't be around long enough to teach everyone." He rubbed his eyes for a moment before looking back at Jesse. "But four years later, I didn't know what I was supposed to do with it, until now that is."

Jesse raised his eyebrows, "What do you mean?"

Derek gave a small smile, "I've seen what you can do, Jesse. Most half-bloods take months, even years to achieve what you've accomplished. And considering that Mark told us that Oliver knew about you before even meeting you, I think he wanted me to teach you how to reach the next step."

Jesse nodded, "Well I'm glad we agree on that." He thought back to Warren's claim, saying how he was needed to save the demigods. Whether or not he agreed with Warren, Jesse couldn't deny the chance to become strong enough to protect those close to him.

"When can we start?" He asked, growing eager.

Derek laughed and stood up. "Not yet." He said, "I'm way too hung over. How about once we get moving again?" He proposed. Jesse nodded and got to his feet. "Now," Derek continued, "Can we please get something to eat?"

***

Five minutes later, the two demigods joined Charlie and Noah, who were already enjoying their breakfasts. As Jesse and Derek sat, Charlie pushed two cups of coffee in their direction, which they accepted happily.

"So, do we have a game plan?" Jesse asked after taking a sip of the scalding beverage.

Charlie leaned back in his chair and tossed a grape in his mouth. "Well, seeing how anyone who could be considered 'bossman' are otherwise occupied, why don't you decide?" He said.

Jesse put his cup down and frowned. "Me?"

"Yes, you." Charlie shot back. "Your prophecy: Your decision." Jesse matched Charlie's gaze and knew that Charlie was evaluating him, but he didn't know why.

He took another sip of coffee, trying to think of the best answer. As much as he wanted to leave New York and continue the quest, but he also didn't want to go any further without Mark's information on the other demigods. Jesse knew that the best choice would be to stall their departure, and he scrambled to come up with an excuse.

"As much as I don't want to stick around here, in case Adam and the rest catch our scent," Jesse said, "We should make sure we're fully supplied to make it all the way to D.C." He plucked a grape from Charlie's plate and ate it.

Charlie nodded a few times, "No disagreements here. How about you guys?"

"I'm with Jesse on this one," Noah said, "I didn't get a chance to pack all of my supplies back at camp, but I know a place around here where I can remedy that."

"Well if there are no complaints, I'm getting an omelet." Derek said, and left the table, heading strait towards the buffet with Noah right behind him. Jesse remained seated, drinking his coffee with Charlie.

Charlie watched Jesse, seemingly amused with a private joke. "Is there a problem?" He asked.

"No problems," Jesse said, scratching his temple. "I'm just wondering why you're so eager to hear what I'd do if I was in charge."

Charlie leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table. "You remember what Andrew told you about me?"

Jesse thought for a moment, considering which comment Charlie was referring to. "He said you were the next Divine Hero."

Charlie smiled, "Close. He said that I'm a CANDIDATE to be the next Divine Hero." He winked at Jesse and drank from his cup, giving Jesse a moment to consider what he had said.

Jesse's mind raced. What Charlie was suggesting seemed impossible to Jesse, but what Warren had told him the night before echoed in his mind. The enigmatic man had told Jesse that he was more important than anyone had expected.

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Jesse asked, cautiously. "You think I'm a candidate?"

"I'd prefer to say that I'm considering the possibility." Charlie said calmly. "I'd be lying if I told you that your growth as a hero hasn't intrigued me. And it doesn't hurt that the rebel heroes want you dead."

"Yeah, remind me to thank them for that." Jesse chimed in.

"Regardless," Charlie laughed, "Assuming you are a candidate, I want to know if you'll be one willing and able to serve the cause." He kept his gaze on Jesse even, suddenly no longer relaxed.

Jesse's throat suddenly went dry, and he felt his own pulse in his ears. He felt unable to break Charlie's gaze, almost afraid to do so. He opened his mouth to respond, without truly knowing what to say, but he was cut off.

"Thanks for stopping me for making one of the biggest mistakes of my life." Henry's tired voice came from behind Jesse, dripping with sarcasm.

The serious expression Charlie had worn moments before had dropped from his face, as if his conversation with Jesse had never occurred. "What, did you go to bed with one of Noah's sisters?"

"No, it wasn't about looks." Henry said, sitting down next to Jesse and rubbing his eyes. "I just can't believe I let down my guard when we're in such a sensitive situation." Henry seemed genuinely embarrassed, and even more hung over.

"Well don't feel too bad about it." Jesse said, pushing his conversation with Charlie aside for the moment, "Andrew brought someone back to the room, and Mark is MIA, presumably with a 'lover'." Jesse made quotation marks with his fingers as he said "lover".

"Huh," Henry said, finishing off Jesse's coffee. "Well, seeing how we weren't killed in our sleep, no harm done."

"On that note," Charlie said, pushing his chair back, "I'm gonna grab an eggs-benny." The son of Hermes left the two heroes alone at the table, Jesse's mind still racing.

"How was your night?" Henry asked, apparently not noticing Jesse's confused state.

"Educational," Jesse answered without thinking.

Henry tilted his head, confused. "Educational?"

"Uh, yeah." Jesse stammered, "Learned a life lesson: No more tequila."

Henry narrowed his eyes, obviously not convinced. "If you say so," He said, dropping the subject, much to Jesse's relief. Moments later, they were joined by Derek and Noah, both of whom had piled food onto two plates, placing a platter in front of Henry and Jesse.

"Oh, you're good people." Jesse moaned as he shoveled scrambled eggs into his mouth. The others laughed and started eating too.

"Do we have a plan?" Henry asked through a mouth full of food.

"We do." Jess said, taking lead without realizing it. "I figure that we should spend today making sure we're stocked up for our trip in the Labyrinth. But I don't want to stay here another night."

"That would be an unnecessary risk." Henry agreed, "Well, this plan sounds good to me. Now we just need to fill in Andrew and Mark."

"Speak of the devil." Noah cut in, pointing towards the elevators, where a very sleepy-looking Andrew was enduring a very long goodbye from a pretty half-blood girl. As if on cue, Jesse and his friends started whistling at the couple as they embraced, causing Andrew to jump away from the girl, looking very embarrassed.

"Here comes the bride…" Henry started to sing in a low voice as Andrew walked towards the table.

Andrew rolled his eyes and sat down between Charlie and Noah. "Sorry about that guys," He said, "She kind of jumped me last night."

"Don't apologize to us." Jesse said, hiding a grin behind his coffee cup. "Apologize to Derek. He's the one who had to leave the room you two share. Chances are he saw a few things."

"Very funny," Andrew said, "Does anyone want to fill me in?"

Jesse let Henry tell Andrew the plan, resting his head on his hands as the other's ate and talked. He couldn't help but feel slightly overwhelmed by all that was happening. Just the day before they had been ambushed by people they had once considered friends, and now they were laughing over brunch. Not for the first time, Jesse wished that he could go back to his normal life.

Without warning, a cold sensation crawled up Jesse's spine. He had felt the same feeling three days before and recognized it instantly. Jesse raised his head from his hands and looked around, scanning the large lobby for Mark, but could not spot the dark haired hero.

While the other heroes at the table were focused on telling Andrew the plan Jesse had made, the son of Apollo left the table and walked towards the center of the lobby, the cold feeling creeping up and down his back growing stronger with each step. Shivering from the sensation, Jesse looked to his left and saw the source of the chill standing outside the main entrance of the hotel.

Jesse stepped out of the hotel and felt the warm summer air overpower the icy feeling on his spine. Blocking the harsh sunlight with his hand, Jesse nodded towards Mark.

"How do you do that?" Jesse asked, "That cold feeling, I mean.

"Good to see you too," Mark said as he finished a cigarette, "To answer your question, what you felt is my presence, I'm able to move it around and use it as a guide." Mark yawned and dropped his smoke on the cement. "Where's your jacket?"

"Up in the room." Jesse answered, "I wasn't really planning on getting shot at during brunch."

Mark rolled his eyes and stomped on the dead cigarette. "You really don't make the job of keeping you alive easy." He said, but Jesse couldn't tell by the man's tone if he was serious or not. "Keep it on from now on."

Jesse chose not to argue. "Aye, aye." He leaned against one of the pillars in front of the door. "So, I'm guessing you weren't gone all night because you were with some girl."

Mark chuckled in spite of himself, "Didn't have time for girls last night." He said, "You were very clear with your orders, and I'm here to serve."

Jesse raised his eyebrows, "And which orders where those?" He asked.

Mark shook his head, as if frustrated. "In your drunken stupor last night, you demanded to know everything that I knew about our fellow half-bloods, including those on your quest. So, here."

Mark reached into his pocket and pulled out a small notebook, no larger than an old-fashioned notepad. He tossed it to Jesse, who caught it in his left hand. Jesse opened the small book and thumbed through the pages, seeing that nearly all of them were filled with scrawled writing, some even having sketches or actual photographs.

"That book has just about every piece of information I gathered over the past five years." Mark said as Jesse pocketed the notebook. "I'd appreciate it if you tried not to lose it."

"I'll do my best," Jesse said, "But more importantly, we need an alibi for you."

Mark raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

Jesse sighed and scratched his head, "They other guys have accepted that you were gone for the night, for now." He said. "But once the hangover is gone, they'll start wondering where you were. And, to be honest, I doubt they all trust you one hundred percent." Jesse sighed, hating the lengths he was taking to deceive his friends, but he couldn't tell them that he was reading into their pasts to see which of his friends was going to betray they rest of them.

Mark winced, seeing Jesse's point. "Ok, I'll just prove that I was with a girl last night."

Jesse laughed, "And how do you plan on doing that?"

"Leave that to me," Mark said, his tone flat. He pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and handed them to Jesse, both of them careful not to make contact with each other's skin.

"Smoke up." He said, "You need an excuse to be out here."

Jesse sighed and allowed Mark to light what was about to be Jesse's first cigarette. "Well, whatever you're about to do, make it quick." He said, "We've getting ready to leave."

Mark nodded and set off down the street. Jesse watched as the demigod removed most of his facial piercings before approaching a pretty girl his age. Shaking his head in disbelief as Mark flirted with the girl masterfully, Jesse took a reluctant drag of the cigarette, somehow able to keep himself from coughing.

As the smoke entered his lungs, Jesse remembered a conversation he had with his mother years ago. The thirteen year old Jesse had promised his mother that, in exchange for her quitting smoking, he would never have a single cigarette in his life. The memory wasn't perfect, however. Despite her best efforts, Maria Cantor had still craved the occasional cigarette now and then. Jesse had found packs hidden around their apartment more than once. But Jesse had always stayed away from the habit, until now. Jesse exhaled the foul taste and watched the smoke rise above his head.

"Sorry Mom." He said to himself before taking another disgusting pull. Unable to finish, Jesse dropped the cigarette and flattened it with the heel of his shoe. Exhaling the smoke again, Jesse pocketed the pack of cigarettes and patted the small book Mark gave him, making sure it was still safe in his back pocket.

Wiping a tear from his eye, and convincing himself that it was caused by the smoke, Jesse pushed through the revolving doors of the hotel and entered the lobby. He quickly noticed that the other demigods were still seated at their table, except Charlie, who's seat was vacant.

"Where's Chuck?" Jesse asked when he returned to the table.

"Taking a leak, I think." Henry said, taking a forkful of scrambled eggs from Jesse's plate. "Where'd you go?"

Jesse's heart quickly sped up as he prepared to start his lie, "Just wanted a smoke." He said, pulling the carton from his pocket.

Jesse heard Andrew groan jealously, "Let me know next time!" He said, eyeing the cigarettes. "You mind if I bum one off of you?"

"Help yourself." Jesse said and tossed them to the commanding hero.

"You too, Jesse?" Henry asked, disappointed. "Andrew, you know those things will be the death of you."

Jesse winced as Andrew's eyes hardened for a brief moment at Henry's comment. "Trust me," The son of Zeus said, "Smoking isn't going to be what kills me."

Jesse glanced at the heroes, hoping that none would read into Andrew's comment. To his relief, Henry seemed to take it in stride, and it seemed that Noah and Derek were too busy stuffing their mouths with food to care.

"Fair enough." Henry said to Andrew, "Anyway, Jesse, while you were out polluting your lungs, we put a shopping list together. We're splitting up to gather what we need, and then: we're out of this hell-hole of a city."

"Watch what you say about my city!" Jesse said jokingly. "What job do I have?"

"You and I will be gathering weapons that we may need." Henry said, "We were going to send you with Mark, but Andrew figured that it would be best if he were paired with him. If Mark ever shows up that is."

Jesse looked at Andrew, wondering if he had assigned Mark as his partner because of the vision Mark had given him.

"Yeah?" Jesse asked, wondering what Andrew's excuse would be. "Why's that?"

"We can't trust him yet." Noah said, nearly spewing French toast onto the table. "Listen, I know that he's sworn his allegiance to you, and that you trust him, but the fact of the matter is that he's still our number one suspect for the demigod to betray us."

Jesse rubbed his shoulder, the bruise made by the bullet still aching. He knew that he had to go along with Noah's point. If he argued, he would have to reveal that he suspected one of them to be the traitor.

"Fair enough," Jesse said, "But we can't forget that Oliver's prophecy said that there would be an eighth member of the quest. He or she could easily be the traitor." The idea sparked some hope in Jesse's mind. The thought of his friends remaining loyal to him seemed like a dream.

"Well, until we meet this eighth person, this will have to do." Henry said, standing up. "I'm gonna get ready to go. You guys coming?" Jesse nodded, grabbing another bite of toast before standing.

"I'm gonna grab a quick smoke." Andrew said, "How about you and Jesse go ahead while we wait for Charlie?"

"Sounds good." Jesse said, patting his back pocket again, feeling that Mark's notebook was still there.

With a quick wave to Derek and Noah (who were still gorging themselves), Henry and Jesse walked towards the elevators. Henry yawned as the elevator doors opened and they stepped inside.

"Didn't get enough sleep last night?" Jesse asked with a laugh.

"I didn't get ANY sleep." Henry said, rubbing his eyes.

Jesse shook his head, almost jealous. "How was she? If you don't mind me asking."

Henry chuckled a bit as the elevator rose to the penthouse floor. "Oh, I wasn't with a girl last night. I was following Mark."

Jesse could have sworn that his heart stopped. He struggled to find the right words to say as the elevator doors slid open and Henry stepped into the large room.

"Following Mark?" Jesse managed to ask. "What do you mean?"

"Come on, Jesse!" Henry said, taking off his dirty shirt. "You didn't really think that I'd be dumb enough to have let my guard down and walk into a potential ambush, did you?"

Jesse shrugged, his heart slowly returning to it's normal pace. "Well, Andrew is that dumb, I guess."

Henry rolled his eyes, "Andrew may be the nicest guy we know, but he could never resist a pretty girl. But I digress. Mark wasn't with a girl last night either."

"Then what was he doing?" Jesse asked, hoping that Henry didn't know the real answer, "And why were you following him, for that matter?"

"I had to know if he was giving a report to Adam!" Henry said, as if the answer was obvious. He disappeared into the bedroom he shared with Jesse, presumably to change his clothes. "You may be the most trusting guy in the world, but I'm not."

"But to answer your question, Mark seems to check out." Henry continued as Jesse sat down on the couch, rubbing one of the bruises on his chest, "I followed him all night, and all I saw him do was patrol frequent half-blood base camps, and he didn't say a word to anyone."

"Well that's a relief." Jesse said, glad that another member of the team trusted Mark.

Henry stepped out of their room, a clean t-shirt, pair of jeans and hooded sweatshirt on. "I'm not sure if 'relief' is the right word."

Jesse raised an eyebrow, "How do you figure?" He asked, standing up and stepping into their bedroom.

"Well, as thrilled as I am that Mark is an ally, like Oliver promised." Henry said, turning around to continue talking to Jesse. "And yeah, Oliver told me about Mark a couple years back, and said that I could trust him. I just had to make sure of it myself." Henry added as Jesse opened his mouth to comment.

"If Mark ISN'T the one who will betray us," Henry said, genuine sadness in his tone, "Than it's probably one of the guys downstairs, if not the eighth member."

Jesse sighed, understanding Henry's feelings. As he picked up his bow, Alexander, from the floor, a thought crossed his mind.

"Why are you telling me this, and not the others?" Jesse asked as he taped Alexander to his forearm, "You don't suspect me as well?"

Jesse heard his friend laugh from the living room. "It wouldn't really make sense for you to be part of the plot to kill off all of Apollo's children, would it?"

Jesse laughed, but continued to press his point, "Right, but why are you telling me in the first place? I already trust Mark."

Henry sighed, "I'm telling you this so that you'll know to trust me." The demigod said, "You can trust me to be on your side, no matter who betrays us."

Jesse nodded solemnly. As relived as he was that Henry was on his side for the long haul, he couldn't help but feel bad for the young man. Henry was admitting that one of his friends was most likely the one to betray their race.

Jesse opened his mouth, about to tell Henry about the journal that Mark had given him, but was interrupted by the sound of a door opening.

"Henry? Jesse?" Andrew's voice called.

"We're in here!" Henry called back, walking out of their room to greet the other hero. Jesse followed Henry, and saw that all of the other demigods had returned as well.

"Look who's back!" He said when he saw Mark enter.

Mark grumbled a reply. If Jesse hadn't already known what Mark had really been up to the night before, he would have instantly believed Mark's performance as the hung over teenager.

"It looks like he had a good night too." Derek said with a laugh, jerking his head towards the obvious bruise on Mark's neck. The son of Hades could only shrug sheepishly as he went to his room to change.

"Have they told you the plan?" Jesse called after him.

"Yeah," Mark called back (fake) sleepily. "I'm going grocery shopping with Andrew."

"Charlie and I are picking up supplies to replace what I left at camp." Noah chimed in, throwing on his army jacket. "Be sure to stock up on arrows and bullets, alright?"

"Sure thing." Jesse said, wondering if a nice guy like Noah could possibly be the traitor. "What's your job, Derek?"

"I picked the short straw," Derek joked, "I'm going to the Lincoln Tunnel to find the entrance to the Labyrinth and make sure Adam and his gang aren't there already."

"Alright." Charlie said, his backpack over his shoulder and his sword hanging from his belt. "It's….2:30. Let's say we all get back here by 5?"

"No complaints here." Andrew said. Jesse noticed that the hero was wincing slightly.

"Are you alright?" He asked, approaching his friend.

Embarrassed, Andrew waved a hand. "I'm fine, just a little sore."

Not believing him, Jesse pressed on. "It's your stomach, right? Let me check it out."

Reluctant, Andrew finally lifted his shirt, allowing Jesse to see the scar that the Cyclops from the museum had given him. Although the wound was closed, the bruise had taken an odd color.

"Yikes." Jesse said. "I'm no doctor, but that doesn't look normal."

"Tell me about it." Andrew said, "Does anyone have some ambrosia? I didn't have time to bring any."

"Yeah, I think I have some in my bag." Derek said.

Jesse stood up, glad that he wouldn't have to heal Andrew himself while he was still new with his healing magic. He couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't thought of using ambrosia before.

"There should be enough to last us a while." Derek went on, "I was going to give some to Henry back when the Stymphallian birds attacked, but Jesse healed him instead."

Something about what Derek had said put Jesse's mind on alert, but he was unsure why. As Andrew took the ambrosia from the son of Ares, Jesse wracked his brain to figure out what was bothering him.

"By the way, the ambrosia is poisoned." Oliver's voice rang through Jesse's head. Suddenly remembering Oliver's reveal a few nights before, Jesse snapped to attention. He looked up and saw Andrew chew the brownie-like substance and swallow it.

"Spit it out!" Jesse shouted, making everyone in the room jump. Desperate, Jesse jumped forward, tackling Andrew to the ground. "SPIT IT OUT!"

Despite his struggling, Jesse managed to pin Andrew down, keeping his arms down with his knees. He pried Andrew's mouth open and saw that most of the wafer had been swallowed. Desperate, Jesse was about to shove his finger down Andrew's throat, hoping to make his friend vomit the poison, when he felt something at his throat.

"Calm down, Jesse." Charlie said, "Get off of him now."

"You don't understand!" Jesse shouted, unable to move without being cut.

"Then get off of him and explain it to us!" Charlie shouted back.

Jesse felt the sword at his throat move away from him, and then heard the sound of two blades crashing against each other. Not having enough time to turn around to see what was going on, Jesse went back to forcing Andrew's mouth open, despite Andrew's writhing body. Andrew's frightened breathing smelled like tar to Jesse. One of Andrew's arms got loose, which Andrew quickly used to punch Jesse in the nose.

"Please don't bite my fingers off." Jesse pleaded to Andrew, and shoved his index and middle finger down his friends throat.

He felt Andrew gag, and but refused to remove his fingers until he was sure that Andrew would vomit. "Are you gonna puke?" He shouted.

Andrew nodded, his eyes wide and watery. Jesse removed his fingers as quickly as he could and rolled off of his friend, vaguely aware of the sounds of a swordfight behind him.

As soon as Jesse's weight was gone, Andrew rolled over onto his knees and hurled on the carpeted floor. Gasping for breath, the two heroes remained where they were, Jesse holding his broken nose, and Andrew spitting the remaining vomit in his mouth onto the floor.

Finally, Andrew was able to catch is breath. "WHAT THE FUCK?" He shouted, more confused than angry, although he was plenty angry.

Jesse fought for breath and looked to the side, seeing that Derek, Noah and Henry had broken up the fight between Charlie and Mark, neither of them looked like they wanted to stop.

"Great question." Charlie panted, "What the fuck, Jesse?"

Keeping his bleeding nose elevated, Jesse answered, "Had….Had a vision." He said, forming the lie as quickly possible. "Someone poisoned the ambrosia."

"What?" Charlie shouted. "Who would do that?"

Jesse laughed angrily, "I don't know, how about the asshole who wanted to cut my throat when I tried to save the guy who was poisoned?" He shouted accusingly at Charlie, but instantly regretted it.

"Oh, fuck you, Cantor." Charlie shouted back, "How was I supposed to know you were saving him?"

"ENOUGH!" Andrew shouted. The lights in the room faded in and out, and Jesse felt an intense gust of power come from Andrew. The others immediately fell silent, and Mark lowered his swords.

Andrew struggled to his feet, spitting the last remnant of ambrosia from his mouth. "Jesse's telling the truth," He said, "The ambrosia was different somehow, but I didn't think much of it until now, obviously."

"Derek," Andrew said, "Who gave you that ambrosia?"

The son of Ares relaxed his grip on Mark's shirt, "I just picked it up from the office. Same place we always do for a quest."

Andrew nodded, "Alright. Jesse, do you have any idea when the ambrosia could have been poisoned?"

Jesse kept the sleeve of his shirt pressed to his nose, taking a minute to think of an answer. He knew that if he wasn't careful, the others would take his answer as a reason to blame Mark for the poisoning.

"Before we left on the quest." Jesse said, "I remember I had a bad feeling about giving it to Henry after he fell from his Pegasus."

"That's true." Noah said, wiping the nervous sweat from his forehead, "He wouldn't take Derek's ambrosia."

"Ok," Henry said, letting go of Charlie's sword arm. "So we can all agree that none of us knew that the ambrosia was poisoned, and that it would be stupid for one of us to poison it and run the risk of needing it themselves. So can we relax for a minute? The last thing we need is us fighting each other."

After a long moment, Charlie spoke up. "I'm sorry I threatened to cut your throat Jesse." He said with a small smile.

"Id's fign." Jesse said, is words slurred by the surprising amount of blood covering his face. Wiping his face clean(ish) with the rest of his shirt, Jesse turned to Andrew. "Are you alright?" He asked.

Andrew nodded and said: "Yeah, sorry about the nose". To which Jesse only shrugged his understanding.

"So what does all this mean?" Derek asked, now having released Mark from his grip. Jesse wondered if, because Derek had only grabbed Mark's clothes, Derek had seen his death. But Derek didn't seem too rattled up, so Jesse relaxed.

They all remained silent at first, until finally, Andrew spoke up. "Maybe this means that, whoever the betrayer is, he or she is back at camp?"

There were murmurs of hopeful agreement amongst the group, and Jesse couldn't help but feel hopeful himself.

But any shred of hope disappeared when he felt an ice-cold hand on his shoulder.

"He's here." Oliver whispered in his ear. "He is in this room right now."

Refusing to look back at his dead brother, Jesse scanned the room, looking at the six other half-bloods. All of whom he would trust with his life. His eyes stopped at one in particular.

Charlie stared right back.

Author's note: Guys, I am truly sorry I took so long to get this done. School seems to always get in the way. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you did, please please please post a review. If not, same thing. Also, feel free (please) to vote for your favorite character on my poll. I think you can find it on my profile (I'm such a n00b). Anyway, thanks for the support, and keep reviewing, it inspires me.

24


	17. Chapter 17

"Are you sure you're alright?" Henry asked Jesse as they crossed another busy street.

"I'm fine." Jesse said, pinching his freshly broken nose gingerly. "I think the bleeding has stopped." Jesse adjusted his tie, glad that he changed his clothes after bleeding on his old outfit. Under his lion skin jacket, Jesse wore his usual wardrobe, a black button down shirt and a dark blue tie.

Henry cringed as Jesse pulled the bloody tissues from his left nostril, "Well that's a lovely sight." He said as Jesse tossed the bloody cloths into an overflowing trashcan. "But I wasn't asking about your nose." He added.

Jesse glanced at his friend as they walked down the crowded New York sidewalk. "What were you asking about then?" He asked.

"Come on, Jesse." Henry said, biting his thumbnail as he always did when he was uncomfortable. "You and Charlie were staring daggers at each other until we left the hotel.

Jesse shrugged, remembering his sudden suspicion of Charlie after the ambrosia incident, a mere twenty minutes before. "Well, he DID have his sword at my throat."

"Only because he thought you were attacking Andrew." Henry said, "It was all a misunderstanding. Don't tell me you think HE'S the one to betray us!"

Jesse could only frown, afraid to tell Henry his suspicion. "I'm sorry, man. I just have this weird feeling about him." He finally said, deciding to be straightforward.

"Well, get rid of that feeling." Henry said, "Charlie is the mostly loyal man I know, not to mention he's destined to the true hero of the demigods."

Jesse bit his lip, remembering his conversation with Charlie, in which the son of Hermes had revealed his suspicion that like him, Jesse was a candidate to be the divine hero.

Jesse shrugged and decided to change the subject. "Where are we going, exactly?"

"It's only a few more blocks." Henry assured him, apparently understanding Jesse need to talk about something else. "Best armory in New York city. Well, the best legal one at least."

Jesse nodded, not really caring one way or the other. It was just nice to walk to streets of New York again, where he had grown up. When the seven heroes had parted ways at the hotel, his mind had been going berserk, filled with suspicion and anger, mostly towards Charlie. But being in a place so familiar almost calmed him down completely.

"What exactly is on our shopping list?" Jesse asked.

Henry shrugged as they walked, "Well, Noah wanted you to buy arrows and bullets, right?" Henry reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. "Derek wants some throwing knives. And Charlie asked if we could get guns. He even lent me his backpack so we could carry them without being noticed." He said. Jesse nodded, remembering that Charlie's backpack was enchanted to carry a seemingly infinite amount of items

"Guns and knives it is." Jesse said. Unable to help himself, he started laughing.

"What?" Henry asked, smiling.

"Well," Jesse said, "Back in high school, I was in the 'Students Against Violence' club."

"Irony's a bitch." Henry said. "You know, that's the first thing you've ever told me about your life before camp."

Jesse smiled, "I guess so. Remind me to tell you some stories."

"I'll hold you to that." Henry said, "But in the meantime, we're here."

Jesse looked at the building they stopped in front of. "This is a parking garage." He said, amused.

"That too." Henry said with a shrug. "Let's head inside."

Jesse followed Henry inside the building, noting that Henry seemed to be checking for something.

"What are you looking for?" Jesse asked.

"Just counting cameras." Henry said. Immediately, Jesse swept the first floor with his eyes.

"I count four." He said after double checking.

"Six, actually" Henry corrected, "Not bad for a rookie though. Once you see all the obvious ones, look for the blind spots. Once you find those, it's pretty easy to find the hidden ones."

Jesse raised his eyebrows, impressed, "I wasn't aware they taught that sort of thing at camp."

"They don't." Henry laughed, pressing the button to the elevator he had led Jesse to. "Fair warning." Henry said, "The guy who owns this place…he's a friend, but he isn't exactly the most trusting guy in the world."

Jesse frowned as they entered the elevator, "So I should, what, keep my mouth shut?"

"Pretty much." Henry said. Jesse watched as his friend opened the panel in the elevator and picked up the phone inside. He waited a moment after putting the phone to his ear, waiting for someone to answer on the other end of the line.

"Yeah, " Henry said, "Two customers coming up….Thanks." Henry hung up the phone, and immediately the elevator started moving down.

"I doubt I have to say this," Henry said, "But lets try to keep your identity a secret. If anyone hears about another son of Apollo being around, good or bad, they'll start talking about it."

Jesse nodded, understanding completely. "You're the boss." He felt the elevator slow to a halt.

"Remember," Henry said, "Keep your mouth shut." His tone may have been light, but Jesse knew that he was being very serious, so he nodded. The doors slid open and they stepped out of the elevator.

Jesse looked around, trying to get a feel for the room he had just entered. It appeared that he had walked into a large warehouse with dozens of aisles filled with different types of weaponry, both modern and ancient. A long desk-like barrier separated the two halves of the room, Jesse assumed it was to keep the customers separate from the merchandize.

"Jeez," Jesse said, "You sure this place is legal?" He asked.

Henry laughed, "Legal for us, at least." Henry clapped Jesse on the shoulder and lead him to the long desk where a young woman sat. As they approached, she sat up and pulled out a clipboard.

"Names?" She asked in a bored tone. Jesse didn't sense much power in her, as he was slowly learning to do, and wondered if she was a half-blood or not.

"Hi," Henry said, "Henry Spencer and Calvin Epps."

Jesse gave a quick wave when Henry gave his fake name, noticing that Henry was as good a liar as he was.

The woman scribbled their names on the clipboard and picked up the phone next to her. After a moment she recited their names, and hung up. "Don will be with you in a sec." She told them before picking up what looked to be a New York Times for demigods.

Henry prodded Jesse with his elbow and jerked his head towards the newspaper. Jesse looked and saw that the page facing them featured an article titled "DIVINE HERO RETURNS TO BIG APPLE" with a picture of Charlie under the headline.

Jesse laughed, only because he assumed that Henry expected to him. In truth, he was wracking his mind, searching for the reason why he suspected Charlie to be the traitor. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he also couldn't get the thought out of his mind.

"Well, if it isn't Henry Spencer." A deep voice came from their left.

"The one and only." Henry replied, turning to face the giant middle-aged man who had just appeared. He was much taller than both of them, and his torso was even broader than Noah's. The parts of his face that weren't covered by his beard were riddled with scars.

Curious, Jesse searched for any presence of power within Don, and then Henry. While Don's seemed slight, and quite different from any that Jesse had ever felt in a demigod, Henry's was nearly overwhelming for Jesse to reach towards with his mind. For a brief moment, the son of the sea god seemed to tower over him.

"How've you been, Don?" Henry asked, shaking the man's large hand, unaware of Jesse's secret activity.

"Busy." Don said, "It seems like everyone needs weapons nowadays."

Henry nodded, "I've noticed. Which is why we're here."

Don grunted in agreement and stepped behind the desk, "There are a few files I need you to take care of in my office, Abigail." He told the girl, who rolled her eyes and left.

"So, who's the new guy?" Don asked, sitting down.

Remembering Henry's request for him not speak, Jesse let his friend answer for him. Which he did.

"This is Calvin Epps." Henry said, "Joined camp a month ago."

"So this is the new guy I've heard about." Don said. "The paper's been saying that your group has taken on a newcomer, now I know who."

Jesse glanced at Henry, surprised that people were reading about them in the newspaper.

"What have these articles been about, exactly?" Henry asked.

Don raised an eyebrow at Henry, "Don't tell me that you didn't expect a following!" He said with a boisterous laugh, which sounded a bit forced to Jesse. "We all heard about the Nemean Lion in the Museum of Natural History." Don went on, "And some Nymphs saw Charlie running through Central Park with a kid on his back and a woman running behind him."

Jesse thought back to the fight at the museum and remembered meeting the young half-blood, Caleb, and his mother. Yet again, Jesse found himself thinking of Charlie, this time wondering if Charlie could possibly betray them, when so many trusted and relied on him.

Before he could lose himself to his thoughts, Jesse struggled to focus back on Henry and Don's conversation.

"So much for being under the radar." Henry was saying, "Forgive me if I don't share all the details."

"No complaints here," Don said, "So what can I get you two?"

"Nothing too complicated." Henry said, "If we could take a look at what guns you have, that would be great."

"Not a problem," Don said, motioning for Jesse and Henry to hop over the desk and follow him, "This way, Earth-Shaker."

Jesse glanced at Henry and mouthed "Earth-Shaker?" with a smile on his face. Henry rolled his eyes and yawned, reminding Jesse that his friend hadn't slept in a day. The two heroes climbed over the desk and followed the giant man down an aisle of weapons.

"Assuming that you guys want celestial bronze, here's what you're looking for." Don said, stopping in front of a particular shelf of guns. Despite himself, Jesse felt a little sick to his stomach when he looked at the rows of guns. Seeing all the weapons in front of him, not to mention feeling his pistol pressed to his side under his jacket, made it very difficult to forget about taking a life the day before.

Needing to get away from the guns Jesse turned to Don. "We actually need some arrows," He said. "You mind pointing me the way?"

Don looked up from the shotgun he was showing Henry, "Yup. Far end of the store." He said, pointing towards the right side of the room.

Jesse nodded and left the aisle of guns, trying to escape his guilty conscious. Sighing, Jesse made his way to the far end of the store, looking down each aisle he passed, glancing at the variety of weapons Don sold.

After passing a row of shelves filled with various swords, Jesse found himself at the final row of wares. He ignored the rows that featured different types of bows, not feeling a need to replace his own. Jesse felt confidant that no bow that Don sold could compare to Alexander.

Instead, Jesse focused on the opposite shelves, those featuring the various arrows. Thankfully, they were sorted and labeled, allowing Jesse to identify the different types. He spent a few minutes restocking arrows that he was familiar with, like cable arrows (which he had only used once), exploding arrows and regular celestials, placing the arrows in an oddly durable bag that was provided.

Once he felt comfortable with his supply of his 'classics' as Jesse called them, he walked down the aisle, searching for new types he could find useful. After a few minutes, Jesse had gathered dozens of arrows of several different types, his favorite being an oddly weighted brand, used to trick the target into assuming the arrow's path, only to be thrown off by the arrow's odd flight.

Confident with his new arsenal, Jesse left the aisle, ready to meet up with Henry and Don. He walked across the store, trying to remember which number aisle he had left the two in. Yawning, Jesse looked around and saw something he hadn't noticed before.

On the desk they were now behind, was a small television screen with eight panels which Jesse assumed were images of what the cameras in the garage saw.

"Six cameras my ass." Jesse said with a laugh, remembering Henry's earlier claim. As he took a closer look at the screen, Jesse felt his stomach drop. Gathering in the garage was a swarm of monsters. Beginning to hyperventilate, Jesse tried to count them, but couldn't figure out how many were just shown on multiple cameras.

"Ok….You're ok." Jesse told himself. "It's just some…hellhounds….and harpies…and, well I have no idea what those are. Oh shit." Jesse started panicking. Walking into the image on the screen, much to Jesse's shock and confusion, were a dozen demigods.

Although they were all armed and battle-ready, none of them seemed concerned about the multitude of monsters that they walked amongst. In fact, the tallest demigod seemed to be directing both the other half-bloods as well as the monsters. Unlike the other demigods, he wore casual clothing, while the others wore classic battle armor.

"HENRY!" Jesse shouted, "We have a serious problem!" He backed away from the television screen, then broke out into a run, towards what he hoped was the aisle that Henry was in.

"Hey man." Henry said when Jesse dashed towards him. "How many hand guns do you think I'm carrying?" He asked, spreading his arms out. "It's a prime number."

"Henry," Jesse said, trying not to panic (too much). "There is, literally, an army of monsters in the garage right now. And they're being led by demigods."

"WHAT?" Henry exclaimed, one of the seven hidden guns almost falling from his sleeve. "How could they-" Henry stopped himself, and Jesse saw his friend's face fall into an expression of regret.

Looking up at the large storekeeper, Henry slowly reached for his trident. "Oh, Don…"

Faster than Jesse would have ever expected of the large man, Don grabbed Henry's throat before the demigod could react, and lifted him in the air, strangling him.

"I'm sorry, Henry" Don said as he clutched the hero's neck, sounding genuine. "But you and your friends killed Jack, and we can't let that go."

Jesse was already sprinting towards Don when he had picked up his friend. Jumping off his left foot, Jesse flew towards Don, a kick aimed at the man's chest. Matching Jesse's speed, Don swung his massive right arm into Jesse's side, sending him flying into a shelf.

Blinded by pain, Jesse felt himself fall to the floor, a dozen guns falling on him from the now broken shelf. Clutching his injured rib, Jesse felt his vision return, only to see Henry's face turning blue as he struggled to pry Don's hand away from his throat.

"Do you know what it's like to be a god's grandson?" Don asked the suffocating Henry. "To be ignored? To be considered unworthy?"

Jesse pulled a knife from his belt and tried to focus his aim as quickly as he could, but his vision seemed to vibrate. Afraid to miss Don and hit Henry, Jesse, for the first time in his life, asked his father for help.

"Let me miss another time." Jesse prayed, and then threw his knife.

The knife burrowed into Don's back, towards his right shoulder blade. The surprise must have made the quarter-blood loosen his grip, because Jesse saw Henry take a desperate gulp of air. Jesse struggled to draw his gun as Henry broke free of Don's grip and started to fall towards the floor.

"GUN!" Henry shouted to Jesse as he fell. Understanding Henry instantly, Jesse pulled the gun from his holster and threw it to his friend.

Without a moment of hesitation, Henry caught the gun, spun in the air to avoid Don's fist, and fired twice. Both bullets hit their target, one piercing through Don's neck, and the other buried itself in the man's chest.

Jesse looked away as a spray of blood burst from Don's neck as the giant man fell to the floor, even more blood seeping from his chest. Jesse's vision turned hazy and unfocused, only able to hear Don crash to the floor. Fighting to stay alert, Jesse looked back to his friend, trying to focus on what was happening in front of him.

Henry landed on his side, but seemed unhurt. Jesse watched his friend rub his bright-red neck and stumble towards him. His vision still cloudy and vibrating, Jesse tried to stand, but failed.

Feeling as if he was losing consciousness, Jesse watched Henry crouch in front of him and lift a hand under Jesse's nose. He heard Henry snap his fingers, and suddenly felt the strong scent of sea salt fill his nostrils. Wide awake, Jesse was able to fully appreciate how much his ribs and back hurt.

"Are you alright?" Henry asked, placing a hand on Jesse's injured side, slightly pressing down. "I don't think there are any broken ribs. Can you walk?"

Jesse nodded, still trying to get the salty smell out of his nose, "Yeah, I can walk." He said, pulling himself to his feet. Once Jesse was steadily standing on his own, Henry handed him his gun, and walked back to Don, who was breathing weakly as his blood pooled around him.

Jesse watched as Henry knelt besides the dying man, "I really wish you hadn't called them, Don." Henry said sadly. Slowly, Don lifted a hand and beckoned Henry to lower his head. Without questioning it, Henry did so, allowing Don to whisper something in his ear.

After a moment, Henry lifted his head and placed a hand on Don's forehead. "We'll see, won't we?" Henry said, and Don made a sound that might have been a laugh.

Slowly, Henry placed his other hand on Don's head, his thumbs pressing down between Don's eyes. "Good or bad, no man deserves to drown in his own blood." Henry said, a small stream of blood trickling from his nose, which told Jesse that Henry was entering at least a part of his god-state.

There were two loud crunching sounds, one caused by the tiled floor cracking beneath them, the other was Don's neck breaking. Jesse winced as Don's head flopped unnaturally to the side.

Jesse stood in silence as Henry got up from the floor, wiping the blood from his nose. He took a few moments, seemingly trying to calm himself down. "I've, uh, I've never done that before." Henry finally said once the ground stopped crackling under him.

Jesse nodded, despite his surprise that Henry was able to execute his first kill so expertly. "You didn't have much choice." He said, remembering what Henry had told him when he had killed Jack.

Henry sighed, "I suppose." He said, "But we can't dwell on it now. How many monsters and demigods did you see?"

Jesse snapped to attention, he had nearly forgotten about the immanent danger he had discovered. "Maybe twelve demigods, I'm not sure about the monsters though. It was hard to tell, I'll show you the cameras."

"We're low on time Jesse!" Henry said, raising his voice. "More or less than the army that attacked camp?"

Jesse thought back to the attack on camp a few days earlier. "Less, I think," He finally said, "Not by much though."

Leaving Don's body behind him, Henry ran towards the end of the aisle, with Jesse right behind. "Alright, the only way for them to get to us that I know of is the elevator, which is on the other side of the desk." He said. "But it's our only way out, so we can't destroy it."

"Ok," Jesse said, "Then let's use the desk as cover until they get close enough to us to use swords."

"Yup." Henry said, pulling out several guns from his clothing. "You have plenty of arrows, right?" He asked, to which Jesse nodded. "Good, watch the elevator until I get back. We're going to need ammo for these guns."

As Henry ran off to collect ammunition, Jesse pulled off the tape that kept his bow on his forearm. Holding it between his thumb and index finger, Jesse created an intense heat, making the bow expand into a full-sized weapon.

"Sorry I haven't used you in a while, Alexander." Jesse said, "But it looks like you'll be put to work today." Jesse felt a warm glow from his bow, as if the weapon was responding. With an eye on the elevator doors, Jesse removed his new arrows from the shopping bag and placed them in his quiver.

Laying an arrow across his bow, Jesse practiced pulling back on the bowstring, relishing in the strength of his bow. "You almost done back there?" He called to his friend.

"Yeah!" Henry called back, already running towards the desk, dozens of magazine clips in his arms, as well as two shotguns pinned in each armpit.

"All celestial bronze ammunition." Henry said, dumping the ammo on the desk. "They'll take out any monster if you hit them in the right spot."

"Well, I love hearing that." Jesse said, loading the handguns.

Henry placed a hand on the gun Jesse was arming. "The same thing goes for demigods."

Jesse turned to Henry, "You're saying we shoot to kill?" He asked.

Frowning, Henry turned away, prepping the shotguns, "If we have to."

Jesse stared at the back of Henry's head for a moment, wondering if he should argue. The idea of killing another person made Jesse feel sick to his stomach, but he couldn't deny the fact that the odds were against the two of them getting out of the store alive if they weren't willing to do whatever it took.

Both heroes felt the soft rumble of the elevator traveling down to their floor, and Jesse's heart began to race even faster than before. Next to him, Henry activated his trident and leaned it against the desk, close enough for him to arm himself when necessary.

"Listen," Henry said, "I know you have some combat experience, but I figure I should give you a quick lesson while we still have time."

"We still have time?" Jesse joked, if only to convince himself that they weren't about to be shot at.

"Shut up and listen." Henry said kindly. "We are demigods, which means we have ADHD, instinctive fighting ability."

Jesse nodded, "Yeah, Andrew told me that my first day."

"Good, but what you need to be able to do is trust those instincts." Henry said, "If your instincts tell you to do something crazy, or something you don't think you can actually do, chances are that you CAN, so trust your gut in a fight. Got it?"

"Got it." Jesse said, growing anxious again. He tightened his grip on Alexander and turned to Henry. "So, do we do the cliché goodbye conversation now?"

Henry laughed as he lowered himself to his knees behind the desk, trying to get as much cover as possible. "Why don't we just skip that part?" He said.

"Fair enough." Jesse said, laying a second arrow over his bow. The rumbling of the elevator grew louder.

Finally, it started to slow as the elevator grew closer to their floor. Jesse heard Henry sigh.

Remembering something, Jesse glanced back at Henry. "What did Don say to you?" He asked.

Henry looked back, confused. "When?"

Jesse frowned, "Well, right before you…you know…He whispered something to you. And you said 'We'll see'." Jesse said, "What did he tell you?"

Henry adjusted his grip on his gun before answering. "He said we won't get out of here alive."

The elevator doors opened.

The sound of a rifle firing crashed into Jesse's ears, and a piece of the desk exploded next to his head. Instinctively following the path of the bullet, Jesse turned to his right and saw the young female employee of Don's store standing in the doorframe of an office, a smoking rifle in her hand.

"To the right!" He shouted to Henry, cursing himself for forgetting about Abigail. Knowing he wouldn't be able to match the speed of Abigail's trigger-finger enough to fire his bow, Jesse dropped his arrows and used his right hand to pull Henry down, under Abigail's second shot, causing Henry to lose his grip on the shotgun.

Expertly, Henry reached for a pistol from his prone position and fired two rounds at Abigail. The first shot missed to the left, but the second struck the girl in the forehead, spreading a canvas of blood and brain matter on the wall behind her.

"Are you hit?" Henry asked, having to whisper, not wanting to reveal their position to whoever was in the elevator. Jesse noticed that Henry's hand was shaking visibly.

"I'm fine." Jesse whispered back, drawing another two arrows from his quiver. "Ready?" Henry nodded, picking up a second pistol.

At the same time, both heroes stood up, aiming their weapons towards the elevator. But there was no one to shoot. The elevator had opened, but was empty. Confused, Henry lowered his guns, "Well that's weird." He said simply. "Maybe they're waiting for us up there. I'll check the cameras."

As Henry jogged towards the television screen, Jesse felt a sudden weight in his gut, and his mind went on high-alert. Sensing some sort of impending danger, Jesse spun around, looking for something that could have caused the feeling. He looked up, and saw a small stream of dust falling from a crack in the ceiling.

"Henry! Take a look at-" Jesse started to say, but was interrupted by a giant explosion above him. A giant hole appeared in the ceiling, causing large pieces of the tile surface to fall to the floor. Standing at the edge of the new hole, were the twelve demigods that Jesse saw on the camera a few minutes earlier.

"THEY'RE HERE!" Jesse shouted, although he doubted Henry hadn't already noticed. Pulling back on his bow, Jesse fired two arrows at the demigods, and ran towards Henry without waiting to see if they hit their mark. Using his instincts rather than his brain, Jesse skidded to a halt in front of Henry, standing between him and the other demigods' line of fire, his back towards the enemy.

Somehow knowing Jesse's plan already, Henry aimed both of his guns over Jesse's shoulders and opened fire. Ignoring the enormous pain in his ears the gunfire caused, Jesse braced for any form of impact, refusing to let himself be knocked over.

Henry fired four rounds before the other demigods returned fire. Jesse felt three bullets slam into his back, which was protected by his lion skin jacket. Despite the pain, Jesse refused to fall, allowing Henry some cover for a bit longer.

"Go right!" Henry shouted, helping Jesse along with a shove. Without question, Jesse dove to the side, turning his head to see what Henry was saving him from. Falling towards his previous position was a large slab of the ceiling, large enough to crush them both.

Without flinching at the spray of bullets flying around him, Henry jumped up and kicked the tile slab with his right foot. Somehow, Henry's kick caused the piece of the ceiling to crumble apart, harmlessly falling to the floor.

"I guess that's why they call him Earth-Shaker." Jesse said to himself, drawing another arrow. A bullet missed him by a few inches, catching Jesse's attention. Tracing the bullets path, Jesse fired blindly, only looking towards the target after firing.

Like the other demigods, Jesse's target had jumped from the hole in the ceiling and was about to land when the arrow slammed into his shoulder. Jesse drew another arrow to fire, but one of the unharmed demigods fired a shotgun round towards him, making Jesse duck behind the desk for cover. A second shotgun blast exploded against the desk, followed by the sounds of Henry's return fire. Taking advantage of the lack of enemy fire, Jesse jumped to his feet, firing an arrow at a tall demigod reloading a shotgun.

The enemy half-blood saw Jesse's arrow seconds before it could make contact and knocked it aside with the butt of his gun, breaking both the arrow and the shotgun. Throwing the useless weapon aside, the hero drew a knife from his belt and hurled it at Jesse, the blade spinning perfectly through the air.

Not sure if he could dodge the knife in time, Jesse dropped his bow to the floor and caught the knife with his bare hand, the steel slicing his palm. Gritting his teeth to work through the pain, Jesse whipped his arm forward, hurling the knife back at the demigod. Unlike Jesse, the enemy hero wasn't able to stop the attack, and fell to the floor when the knife imbedded itself in his thigh.

Clutching his bleeding hand, Jesse looked to his right, wondering how Henry was faring since the gunfire had resumed, yet none were directed towards him. Henry seemed to be pinned down behind his desk, pieces of the barricade being blown away by the dozens of bullets slamming into it.

Including the two demigods Jesse had downed himself, he counted five figures lying on the ground, although Jesse wasn't sure if they had been killed or not. The remaining enemy demigods had taken cover behind the rubble of the fallen ceiling.

"A little help?" Henry shouted to Jesse, unable to get an opportunity to return fire.

Faintly hearing Henry's call through his ringing ears, Jesse drew an arrow and fired it, aiming at an empty space, close enough to the enemy demigod's location.

The arrow exploded on contact, leaving a small crater in the floor, forcing the other heroes duck behind their cover. Jesse heard Henry make a sound that could have been a battle cry before he jumped over the barrier, charging towards his opponents, his trident held over his head.

A brief premonition flashed through Jesse's mind, and he leaned back slightly, barely dodging a bullet. The attacker had left his cover, and was glaring down the barrel of his rifle, trying to get another shot.

Adrenaline and anger taking over, Jesse ducked under another shot and threw an arrow at the gunman rather than using his bow. The bright green arrow changed shape right before contact, forming a net to trap the demigod. Relishing the feeling of victory, Jesse prepared another arrow, but felt something his side, knocking him over.

Jesse's back, already aching from the cushioned bullet impacts, exploded with pain when the demigod tackled him. His bow and arrow having escaped his grip, Jesse could only lash out with his fists. The half-blood took the blows, focusing on pressing down on Jesse's windpipe.

Surprising himself with his lack of panic, Jesse released a brief flash of contained light, not intense enough to affect the other demigods. Stunned for a moment, the demigod's grip on Jesse's neck loosened. Climbing to his knees, Jesse grabbed the back of the demigod's head and smashed it on the floor.

Feeling the half-blood slump in his grip, Jesse let go and lowered himself to a seated position, trying to catch his breath. On the other side of the barrier, he could hear weapons clashing against each other, and took solace in knowing that Henry was alright. Fighting the pain in his back, Jesse got to his feet and picked up his bow. Now able to see the fight, Jesse saw Henry fighting two demigods at the same time, his trident keeping a battle axe at bay as he ducked under a sword, with two freshly defeated heroes lying on the floor.

Instantly, something felt wrong with the scene. Unable to put his finger on it, Jesse pulled back on his bow, ready to fire one of his new arrows.

"Yeah, there's one more of us." A voice said behind him.

Jesse spun around to meet the source of the voice, arrow still ready to be released. Only twenty feet away from him was a demigod his age. He was short, with dark hair and skin. Over his polo shirt, he wore a bronze breastplate Unlike the other attacking demigods, he didn't carry any obvious weapons, like a sword or gun.

"Are you in charge?" Jesse asked, remembering seeing him in the camera giving orders.

"Of this operation, yes." The half-blood said. "I'm Mike."

Still not relaxing his bow, Jesse asked, "Do you know who I am?"

"Now that I've seen you in action, yes Jesse, I do." Mike said, unaffected by the sounds of the battle going on twenty yards away. "Which is why I'm not bothering to ask you to come with us peacefully."

"Glad to hear it." Jesse said, and loosed the arrow.

A knee crashed into Jesse's chin, sending him flying backwards. Dropping his bow, Jesse managed to flip backwards and land on his feet five yards away. Spitting blood from his mouth, Jesse looked around. Mike had apparently managed to rush Jesse and strike him before Jesse's arrow had traveled an inch.

"What the hell was that?" Jesse asked himself, drawing his sword.

"Over here." Mike said. Jesse spun to his right, seeing the demigod a few yards away. Holding his sword in front of him, Jesse charged towards the half-blood.

Mike's image seemed to blur by the time Jesse had taken his second step, and was gone. An instant later, Jesse felt a surge of energy next to him, followed by a kick to his ear. Knocked off his feet, Jesse landed on his side, his sword flying from his hand.

His vision swaying, Jesse started to pick himself up, but was punch in the jaw, this time from a completely different direction. Jesse allowed himself to roll farther away from Mike before using the momentum to get back to his feet.

Mike made no efforts to stop Jesse from standing. Instead, he picked up Jesse's sword and tossed it to him.

Catching the sword by the hilt, Jesse remained where he stood, watching Mike carefully. He could sense something odd about Mike, vaguely recognizing something about him. Unable to put a finger on it, Jesse focused on slowing his racing heart, not once looking away from Mike. He saw the demigod's right leg bend slightly, and then Mike's image flickered away again, a rush of power bursting from where he once stood.

Relying on his reflexes alone, Jesse raised his sword, pressing the flat of the blade on his bleeding left hand and blocked a kick that would have struck his ear. Mike's weight remained on Jesse's sword for a moment, but then disappeared.

Reappearing ten feet behind Jesse, Mike chuckled. "You learn fast!" He said, in an almost congratulatory tone. "I've heard that about you."

Spinning his sword in his right hand, Jesse looked back at Mike. "Funny thing is, I haven't heard anything about you." He said.

"Recently, I've been able to sense a demigod's presence and power." Jesse went on, keeping his eyes on Mike in case he tried to attack again. "Most are somewhat different from each other, but yours seems completely foreign."

"Does it now?" Mike asked before disappearing.

Barely able to predict the attack, Jesse ducked under another kick and swung his sword in an arc, trying to cut Mike's leg, but the demigod flickered away again.

"So my presence is special, you say?" Mike asked, feigning interest or confusion. Jesse followed the voice, spotting Mike sitting on top of one of the aisles.

"It feels as powerful as Jack, or Adam's, but unnatural.." Jesse said. He kicked off the ground, jumping higher than he ever thought he could. His head almost scraping the ceiling, Jesse swung his sword down, trying to split Mike down the middle. Inches before the blade could connect, Mike disappeared, leaving only the wooden shopping barrier to slice in two.

Jesse cut through the aisle like it was butter, sending splinters of wood and various weapons tumbling down to the floor. Landing on his feet, Jesse turned, trying to find the lightning-fast half-blood.

"Here's the thing, though." Jesse continued, still searching for Mike. "You seem just as powerful as those two, but I've never heard of you before." He said, "Now, why might that be?"

Jesse couldn't help but wonder why he was still talking. He wasn't even sure what point he was trying to make. But a small voice in his head screamed that there was something more to the demigod he was fighting.

"How about you find that out for yourself?" Mike said, standing directly behind Jesse.

On autopilot, Jesse flipped his sword in his hand, holding it upside-down, and stabbed backwards, under his arm. He could feel Mike shift to the side behind him, and grab Jesse's sword with his bare hands.

There was a loud snap, and felt his sword break in half. Dropping the hilt, Jesse dove forward, avoiding Mike's stab with the shard of sword.

Jumping to his feet, Jesse stared Mike down, wondering if it was normal for a demigod to be able to break a celestial bronze weapon with their bare hands. Feeling himself begin to panic again, Jesse racked his brain for an idea. A simple, yet nearly impossible one came to mind.

Needing to buy some time to gather his energy, Jesse jumped forward, twisting himself in the air to kick down on Mike's shoulder. Rather than flicker away, Mike dropped the blade of Jesse's broken sword and grabbed Jesse's leg with both hands, trying to bring him to the ground.

Still trying to focus, Jesse extended his right arm and pressed it firmly on the floor, performing a one-armed handstand. He swung his free leg, so fast that it was a blur of light, kicking Mike fiercely in the temple.

The force of the blow knocked Mike aside, freeing Jesse from his grip. Both heroes got to their feet at the same time, but Mike seemed to sway from side to side, a hand on his injured head.

"A son of Apollo indeed!" Mike exclaimed, his pain apparent. "I guess that's what it's like to be kicked at the speed of light."

Jesse didn't answer, busy trying to bring back the same sensation he felt when he delivered that kick. Slowly, he began to feel warm, and then his arms and legs became lighter. His injuries ached less, and his eyes grew sharper.

Seeing something, Mike smirked. "Well, well. You're growing up."

Jesse wiped away the stream of blood coming from his nose, an immense feeling of calm overtaking him. Jesse could feel a gust of power, or energy, burst from him, only to crash into a matching wave from Mike. Sensing another source of power, Jesse turned to see Henry.

Henry had downed another demigod, and was fighting the last half-blood left, both unarmed, Henry's trident imbedded in the far wall. Unlike Jesse and Mike, both Henry and his opponent seemed to be fighting in slow-motion, just like Jesse had seen in the museum.

"I must say, I'm surprised." Mike said, bringing Jesse's attention back to him. "I never expected you to be able to access your god-state, even such a small part of it."

The rouge demigod still seemed stunned by Jesse's kick, and was leaning on an aisle for support. Jesse felt himself smirk in satisfaction as he watched Mike struggle with pain, the unfamiliar emotion of wrath made him wonder what effect the god-state was having on his mind.

"Well, I only need a fraction of my god-state to take you on." Jesse said. Allowing instinct to take over, Jesse leapt forward, throwing a kick at Mike's already bleeding head. He could see Mike try to bolt out of the way, but he was too slow in his dazed state.

Jesse's foot collided with Mike's temple, sending the demigod flying backwards. As soon as his foot touched the floor, Jesse sprung forward, perfectly mimicking Mike's flicker-like movements. Suddenly appearing next to Mike, who was still in mid-air, Jesse brought down his elbow, striking the half-blood in the stomach, crashing him into the floor.

Growing aware that he was gradually slowing down, Jesse grabbed Mikes collar and pulled him to his feet, only to throw a devastating punch to his nose, feeling it break under the weight of his fist.

Mike groaned in pain, sputtering out blood as he tried to speak. Knowing he was running out of time in his partial god-state, Jesse tried to dish out as much damage he could before running out of energy. The ever-increasing feeling of wrath encouraged him. Sliding his left hand from Mike's collar to his throat, Jesse lifted the rouge demigod off his feet, enjoying the rush he felt as Mike's pulse quicken under his fingertips.

"Jesse! Don't kill him!" Henry's voice rang from behind him.

Jesse turned his head, seeing Henry, at full speed, hop over the barrier and jog towards Jesse and Mike, having apparently already taken care of the other half-bloods.

His arm suddenly feeling like lead, Jesse dropped Mike, who fell to his knees, gasping for breath. Flexing his sore hand, Jesse wondered when he lost control of his god-state, allowing Henry to move at the same speed as him. Wondering if he was actually going to kill Mike before Henry intervened, Jesse turned to his friend.

"Are you alright?" Jesse panted, pointing at the large bloodstain on Henry's sleeve.

Henry looked down, apparently surprised when he saw the wound. "Ah, shit." He said, "Thought I dodged that. What happened to you?" He asked, pointing at Jesse's severely beaten face.

"I fell down some stairs." Jesse said sarcastically, "What do you think happened? He's faster than he looks."

Holding his bleeding arm tenderly, Henry approached Michael with a frown on his face. "Huh, I don't recognize him."

Suddenly remembering the notebook his had in his back pocket, Jesse pulled it out and thumbed through its pages, trying to find something on the mysterious half-blood, but could find nothing.

"What's that?" Henry asked, keeping a pistol trained on Mike as he looked at the notebook curiously.

Embarrassed, Jesse put the book away, "Uh, Mark's notebook on all the important half-bloods. I was gonna tell you about it later."

"We can talk about it later." Henry said, but Jesse could tell that his friend was shaken by the discovery.

Squatting down next to Mike, Henry used his gun to lift the demigod's chin. "How did you know Jesse would be here?"

Mike's eyes darted between the two demigods, blood still trickling from the gash on the side of his head. "We didn't." He managed to say, not without coughing.

Without pause, Henry fired his gun in the air, making both Mike and Jesse jump. "DON'T TRY LYING TO ME!" He shouted, spittle flying from his mouth. "How did you know he would be here?"

"We didn't!" Mike said, his voice even, "Abigail only gave your name."

Jesse saw Henry flinch when Mike mentioned the name of the girl Henry was forced to kill, minutes before. But, ever the professional, Henry took it in stride.

"So you and your band of merry men are out to kill me, too." Henry said, glancing towards Jesse. "Having me out of the way would make Adam's life easier. But why-"

"Sorry." Mike said, interrupting Henry. "You don't get another question." Faster than any wounded demigod should be able to move, Mike pushed Henry's gun away from his face with his left hand and revealed a dagger from his sleeve with his right.

Jesse lunged forward as the knife arced its way towards Henry's neck. He grabbed Mike's wrist, barely in time to save Henry, and wrestled the knife out of Mike's grip. And before he could stop himself, or even consider it, Jesse slashed the demigod's throat open.

Mike let out a gurgled sound as he fought for breath, a spray of blood coating Henry's face and torso. After a moment of struggling, Mike fell backwards, his hand over the gaping wound, leaving Jesse and Henry in a suddenly silent room.

His hand shaking, Jesse let the knife fall to the floor, the bronze blade imbedding itself into the tile. "Are you alright?" He asked his friend.

Henry wiped the blood from his eyes before responding, "I'm fine, considering. Thanks for that, by the way."

Jesse nodded, "We should get out of here before the others get back up." He said, "And we have a shit-ton of monsters waiting for us upstairs." Jesse got to his feet, hoisting Henry up by the hand.

"You get shot?" He asked, pointing at Henry's bleeding arm.

"Ah, yeah." Henry said, as if only just realizing that his arm hurt. "It only grazed me, though."

"Let's take a look," Jesse said, motioning for Henry to roll up his sleeve as he focused healing energy into his hand. As he lowered himself to be eye-level with Henry's wound, Jesse realized that his friend had frozen where he was, staring at something to Jesse's left.

Mike's hand was glowing brighter than any light Jesse had ever seen. After a moment, his index finger began to twitch. Jesse and Henry both watched, stunned, as Mike's fingers traced the slash across his throat, the cut closing where his fingers once were. Once the wound was closed completely, color returned to Mike's face, and his eyes blinked open.

Next to him, Jesse felt Henry's arm rise, gun in hand. The sidearm fired, the sound crashing against Jesse's eardrums, followed immediately by a flash of light, blinding both of them. Even though Jesse's vision was restored within seconds, Mike was already gone, the bullet ricocheting off the floor.

"What the hell just happened?" Henry shouted, "How did he just do that?"

"I don't know." Jesse said, spinning around from his kneeling position, trying to find Mike. "Did he just heal himself?"

"That I did, Jesse." Mike's voice came from behind them. "You know what happens now, right?"

Jesse started to turn around, but felt a foot smash into his cheek that knocked him on his back several yards away. His vision swaying, Jesse watched as Mike dodged a punch from Henry, and struck him with a fierce headbutt, effectively forcing Henry to the ground. Henry raised his gun, only to have it wrenched out of his grip.

After spinning the gun in his hand, Mike rested the muzzle on Henry's forehead. "I'd like to tell you that I'll let Henry live if you come peacefully, Jesse." Mike said, twisting the gun so that Henry's forehead looked contorted. "But I'm afraid that Henry has to die, whether you choose to cooperate or not."

"Jesse," Henry said, sweat pouring from his face, "Get out of here, now."

Jesse almost considered doing as he was told. To run away and hide under some rock for the rest of his life. But he knew that none of his friends, especially Henry, would abandon him in that situation.

"No, Henry." Jesse said, "I'm not going anywhere." Starting to focus his energy to reach god-state, Jesse started to get to his feet.

"Sit down." Mike said, just before removing the gun from Henry's forehead and firing at Jesse's stomach.

The bullet slammed into Jesse's gut, unable to break his skin due to his lion skin jacket, but still knocking the wind out of him. Fighting for breath, Jesse fell backwards, knowing he was helpless against this particular demigod.

"Where were we?" Mike asked no one in particular, placing the muzzle of the gun between Henry's eyes. "Oh, right."

Despite the sound of his heartbeat pounding in his ears, Jesse could still hear the hum of a vibrating cell phone.

Letting out a frustrated groan, Mike fished his phone out of his pocket, still keeping his gun on Henry.

"What?" He shouted into the phone. "Oh, sorry sir." He said after a pause.

"Yeah, I have Jesse here. Henry too." Mike said, "I was about to-"

He was cut off, apparently being lectured by the unheard voice on the other side of the line.

"HE'S WHAT?" Mike shouted after a few seconds. "No, I understand. Right away. Tell her I'll be there."

Mike flipped the phone closed, an odd expression on his face, seemingly a mix between frustration and confusion. "Well, I have to go." He said, stripping the gun apart and throwing the pieces across the room. "So….bye." There was a flash of light, leaving Jesse blinded long enough so that when he was finally able to open his eyes, Mike was gone.

"What the hell is going on?" Henry asked, rubbing his eyes.

"I still don't know." Jesse said, fighting through the pain in his stomach. Slowly climbing to his feet, Jesse turned and saw one of the demigods he had downed earlier, still lying on the floor. A fresh pool of blood seeped from the knife lodged in his throat.

"I didn't do that…" Jesse said, pointing at the dead half-blood.

"Me either," Henry said. "I think Mike did."

Jesse scanned the room, seeing that all the other defeated demigods all had a knife in their throat, seemingly also courtesy of Mike. "But how could he do that so fast?" Jesse asked.

"The same way he could move so quickly, and heal himself." Henry said, "I don't think you're the only son of Apollo anymore."

Author's note: Well, last we talked, I promised a new chapter in a short period of time…that was two months ago. I am quite sorry for my tardiness, but hopefully you enjoyed this chapter. Special thanks to all my reviewers, and those who added my story to their "favorites". Anyway, feel free to post a review and/or vote on my poll. Speaking of which: The current front runner on the "Favorite Character Poll" is….Mark Wolfram. Congrats to him, aka: congrats to me. I'll start working on the next chapter soon, but I can't honestly say that I know when it'll be done.

31


	18. Chapter 18

Author's note: Well, I hope you guys all had a wonderful summer/September. Please, don't be mad. I know I'm very late. I was very busy over break, going on a mini-tour through New England. This past hiatus has been my longest yet, but it also brought about the longest chapter so far, and one of my favorites. Hopefully you'll enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

"Does it always take this long?" Henry asked, looking down when Jesse hesitated before pushing his fingers into the wound in Henry's bicep.

"Well," Jesse said as he shoved is index and middle finger into the bullet hole, making Henry groan in pain, "I could heal the wound around the bullet if you want a piece of lead in your arm for the rest of your life."

"Fine, but I don't think we're thinking this through. AH, SHIT!" Henry shouted as Jesse's fingers brushed against the sliver of metal, pushing it further into his arm.

"Sorry!" Jesse said between his gritted teeth. He couldn't keep the feeling of nausea down, but whether it was the beating he took that was causing it, or how the inside of Henry's arm felt like steak, he was not sure.

He reached slightly further into the tough meat of Henry's arm, spreading his fingers apart slightly, so there was enough room to hold the shard of lead between them. "Ok, I've got it." Jesse said, withdrawing his fingers.

Henry hissed with pain until Jesse was finally able to remove the bullet. He wiped a combination of sweat and blood from his brow as Jesse flicked the bullet away and wiped Henry's blood off of his hand and on to the floor.

"Thanks," Henry said, his face growing pale from the blood pumping from his arm. "Just close it up so we can get out of here."

"Yeah, sure." Jesse said, lightly extending Henry's arm. Trying to ignore the slick blood that was covering his hands, Jesse placed his middle and index finger at the edge of the wound, which seemed more stretched and disgusting since Jesse had removed the bullet.

It took Jesse a few seconds to find the healing energy deep within his chest. After feeling the familiar sensation of warmth in his core, Jesse sent it coursing through his body, towards his fingertips. As soon as he started to release the energy to heal Henry, however, images of Mike appeared in Jesse's vision. He saw himself slash open the throat of the demigod who could quite possibly be his brother, only to see Mike heal his own wound.

Nausea washed over him, and before Jesse could even start to heal Henry's arm, he slumped forward and threw up onto the floor.

"Dude, my Jordans!" Henry protested, jumping away from Jesse, trying to keep his shoes safe from the vomit. "You ok?"

Jesse tried to answer, but vomited again instead. Coughing, Jesse got to his feet, but for some reason he was too weak to stand straight, and had to lean against Henry to stay up.

"Oh, jeez." Henry said, practically dragging Jesse towards the desk and seated him. "Alright, just stay there for a second."

Jesse watched with swaying vision, as Henry dashed off, picking up all the weapons he came across, and stuffed each one into the magic backpack he had brought. Jesse tried to focus his vision, but the constant pain from the bruises and cuts covering his body kept him from being fully aware of what was happening around him.

Gagging on yet another sensation of nausea, Jesse hung his head, trying to force the bile back down his throat. After a few strained moments, Jesse opened his eyes to see that Henry was standing in front of him, the backpack in one hand, and a shotgun in the other.

"I checked the cameras," Henry said, pulling Jesse back onto his feet. "We still have a flipping army of nasties to deal with upstairs."

Jesse cursed under his breath, "I can barely stand, much less fight." He said weakly.

"Yeah, I can tell." Henry shot back. "Leave that to me. All you need to do is stay conscious for a few minutes."

Jesse nodded and let out an exhausted sigh, "Alright, but I feel like a walking bruise." He took a step forward, but stumbled before he could take a second one. "Minus the walking part." Jesse added after Henry caught him by the collar.

"It's fine," The son of Poseidon said. "Just make sure not to pass out once you get into the elevator, I'll take care of the rest."

"You're the boss." Jesse said, suddenly feeling every bruise and cut on his body. As he threw an arm over Henry's shoulder, he could feel his friend wince under his weight, and saw the stream of blood coming from his arm hasten.

"Are you sure that you'll be ok?" Jesse asked as he started limping towards the elevator.

"I'll have to be." Henry said, not disguising the pain in his voice. It took them nearly a full minute to reach the elevator, having to limp heavily while navigating around the several dead bodies of the demigods they had just fought.

"Alright," Henry said once they finally made it to the elevator and the doors slid open. "Let's sit you down." He helped Jesse lower himself to a seated position opposite of the elevator doors.

Jesse groaned as his back bumped against the wall. The celestial bullets he had been hit by may not have broken through his seemingly impenetrable jacket, but they still bruised like a bitch.

"So, what's the plan?" Jesse asked once he was seated and had his bow drawn.

Henry reached into his pocket as he pressed the elevator button designated for the garage floor, and pulled out an iphone. "I take out as many monsters as I can as soon as the doors open, then we try to break through while their confused."

"With an iphone?" Jesse asked as the doors closed.

"Yeah, there's an app for that." Henry said, cracking one of his first smiles since the carnage had begun only ten minutes before. They both felt the elevator lurch as it started moving upwards.

Jesse let out a pained breath, his bruised ribs screaming against his expanding lungs. "Lead on, Macduff." He said.

Henry looked back at Jesse with a confused expression as he typed something into his iphone, "Is that a movie reference, or something?"

"What?" Jesse asked, "They never made you read Macbeth in high school?"

"You need to be enrolled in order for them to make you work." Henry said quickly, just as the elevator slowed to a stop. "You ready?"

Jesse didn't have time to answer. The elevator doors slid open, revealing a crowded scene of monsters, all crammed together in the small parking garage. Almost immediately, snarls began to echo through the room as several of the smaller hellhounds took notice of the two demigods.

"Give me a couple seconds, Jesse!" Henry said as he lowered himself to his knees, propping up his iphone just outside of the elevator.

Jesse pulled back on his bowstring, feeling his shoulder protest in its socket, and fired. Jesse's shot went uncharacteristically wide, burying itself into a hellhounds shoulder, causing it to stumble a few yards short of Henry, whelping in pain.

Groaning in both pain and frustration, Jesse reached for a second arrow, but the pain lancing through his right arm wouldn't allow it. "That's all I've got, buddy!" He shouted, more due to the pain than the need to be heard.

Henry grunted a reply and backed away from the iphone he had set down. "Come and get us, boys!" He shouted at the swarm of monsters, shoving his middle finger in the air.

Jesse heard several screeched responses to Henry's challenge, but couldn't see the source. As if responding to his confusion, three giant griffins flew over the crowd of other monsters, towards the two demigods.

Jesse waited for Henry to reveal his trident, or maybe even pull a new trick from his sleeve, to dispatch the monsters, but Henry only stayed where he was, clutching his furiously bleeding arm.

Within seconds, the winged beasts were almost upon them, but a piercing sound emanated from Henry's iphone. Crying in pain, the griffins, as well as most of the other monsters, collapsed and started scratching at their ears.

"Whoa!" Jesse said after a few seconds, having to shout over the noise. "I kind of thought it was going to explode."

Even though Henry's back was turned towards him, Jesse could tell his friend was grinning. "Wait for it…"

The world seemed to explode with sound. Like a claymore, the iphone's screen exploded outwards, sending a shower of celestial bronze shards towards the horde of monsters.

Jesse dropped his bow and covered his ears, a ringing echoing in his skull. In front of him, he could see Henry turn and run towards him. The son of Poseidon was saying something to him, but even with his hands away from his ears, Jesse couldn't hear a thing. Henry seemed to repeat himself, and this time Jesse was able to read his lips.

"I'll try!" He shouted over the ringing in his ears and the sound of dying monsters. Pushing up off the floor, Jesse struggled to his feet, but was only able to keep himself up for a few seconds before starting to fall again.

His friend caught him, and before Jesse could protest, Henry pushed his shoulder into Jesse's gut and lifted him off the ground, now carrying him over his uninjured shoulder.

"Sorry buddy, but we're in a hurry!" Henry shouted over Jesse's protests. With a flick of his right foot, he kicked Jesse's bow, bouncing it off the wall and into his hand.

Jesse grunted in pain as Henry's shoulder dug deeper into his stomach when he started his run out of the elevator. Jesse strained his neck to look towards Henry's path and was able to see the carnage before them out of the corner of his eye. Scattered across the floor were piles of dark sand that had once been monsters. The sand was outnumbered by the amount of wounded creatures, shards of bronze having pierced them in non-vital locations.

"Hellhound! To the right!" Jesse tried to shout while coughing out a small amount of blood. Henry must have been able to understand Jesse's meaning, because he leapt just in time to avoid the beast's jaws. Moments before landing, Henry whipped his wrist backwards, stabbing through the hellhound's throat with Jesse's bow.

Henry landed, not without stumbling, and continued his dash towards the exit. If Jesse hadn't been in such pain, all of Henry's jukes and spins to avoid the monsters would have made him think that the son of Poseidon had played football.

"Tell me we're almost there." Jesse begged, having to stagger his speech as Henry's shoulder continued to dig into his stomach.

"Hey, I should be the one complaining!" Henry shouted back at Jesse, ducking under a swooping harpy's claws. "It's not like you're as light as a feather! Take your bow!" He reached back, allowing Jesse to grasp his bow again.

Enjoying the warm bronze in his hands, Jesse swung his bow, striking some sort of serpent between the eyes. Knowing that his right arm didn't have the strength to allow him to fire an arrow, Jesse continued to swatting monsters away with his bow.

"Ok, I need to clear these guys out before we get outside!" Henry shouted skidding to a halt when he reached the exit of the garage. He leaned forward, allowing Jesse's feet to touch the ground.

Wiping blood out of his eyes, Jesse was able to see the traffic of pedestrians outside of the garage, none of them able to see the chaos inside for some Mist-related reason. Still having trouble standing on his own, Jesse leaned forward, his hands on his knees.

"You have a plan?" Jesse asked between panting breaths.

"Not a good one." Henry shot back. Jesse watched as his friend extended his uninjured arm towards a wall, his fingers out as if he was clutching something. A bead of sweat dripping from his brow, Henry turned his wrist over, somehow causing a groaning sound from within the wall. It was followed by a loud crack, and the wall seemed to fall apart. With a final pull of Henry's arm, a water pipe burst open, spraying the dozens of monsters with a powerful jet of water.

"That's our cue!" Henry said. More pipes continued to burst through the wall as Henry turned around and started sprinting towards the exit. Forcing himself to ignore the pain throughout his entire being, Jesse followed his friend, leaving the monsters to drown in their wake.

Almost immediately, Jesse was practically lost in the traffic of pedestrians. Constantly jostled by the passers-by, Jesse frantically looked around, trying to find Henry.

"Jesse?" Henry's voice came from somewhere ahead of Jesse.

"Hang on, I'm coming your way." Jesse shouted, and started limping towards Henry's position. People eventually started getting out of Jesse's way, having noticed that he was not only covered in blood, but was also carrying a gigantic bow.

Lacking the energy to force his way through the crowd, Jesse had to attempt to weave through the pedestrians, a feat made more difficult by his beaten state. A few times, a good Samaritan tried to stop him, asking about his injuries, but Jesse pressed on.

By the time he finally reached Henry, Jesse felt ready to collapse. "We….We really need to get out of here." He managed to say.

Henry looked just as exhausted, his injured arm now hanging uselessly on his side. "Tell me about it. Shit, your bow." He said, reminding Jesse that his weapon was blessed, and couldn't be hidden by the Mist.

Straining himself, Jesse tried to create heat in his palm to shrink the bow, but all it caused was the need to vomit. "God damn it," Jesse said, frustrated that he had finally reached his limit. "We have to get back to the hotel," Jesse said, and looked at his watch. "We have… One hour before we're supposed to meet everyone there."

Henry nodded and helped Jesse limp towards a nearby wall to lean against. Almost immediately, Jesse had to slide down to a seated position. "Ok buddy, you just hang tight. I have a plan." Henry said.

The son of Poseidon limped towards a boy, who looked about twelve, who was apparently taking a picture of the two injured demigods with a camera phone. Without a word, Henry wrenched the phone out of the kid's hand, and shooed him off with a jerk of his head. The boy obeyed without question, leaving Henry to dial a three digit number into the cell phone.

Jesse tried to listen as Henry told the emergency operator to bring an ambulance to their location, but was barely able to focus on anything but the massive pain over his entire body. After a minute or two, Henry ended the call by crushing the phone in his hand. Seeing that Jesse was struggling, Henry returned to his friend and knelt down next to him.

"We got lucky," He said as he lightly slapped Jesse's face to keep him awake. "There's already an ambulance nearby, so it'll be here any minute."

He was right, Jesse could already hear the approaching siren of an emergency vehicle. "How…how are we supposed to meet up with the others if we're brought to a hospital?" Jesse asked, barely able to keep his head up.

Henry didn't answer at once, seemingly lost in thought. "One problem at a time, Jesse." He finally said as the ambulance arrived. Within seconds, a paramedic had approached them, using words that only echoed uselessly in Jesse's ears. He felt himself starting to flop over to his side, but was caught by the paramedic almost immediately.

The world blurred around Jesse for a moment, and he was suddenly lying on a stretcher, no longer on a crowded sidewalk. Vaguely aware that the room he was in was moving, Jesse looked to his left and saw the paramedic sitting next to him.

"Alright, he's awake." The young man said, "Do you know what day it is?"

"Where's Henry?" Jesse asked weakly, his head swimming.

"You're brother's right over there." The paramedic said, pointing to the other side of Jesse's stretcher. Jesse rolled his head over and saw Henry sitting against the wall of the ambulance, his eyes closed, and with a tight grip on Jesse's bow.

"I need you to focus," The paramedic said, catching Jesse's attention. "What day is it?"

Jesse tried to remember, but beat up or not, he had lost track of the days ever since he had arrived at camp. Frustrated, Jesse only shook his head.

"Alright, can you-" The man started to say, but couldn't finish his thought as the ambulance came to a screeching halt. The paramedic was thrown forward, his head smashing into the steel plated wall of the vehicle.

Confused and scared, Jesse tried to lift himself to a seated position, only to realize that he was strapped down onto the stretcher. He started to struggle against the restraints, only to feel all of his injuries explode with pain.

Behind him, Jesse heard the driver curse at whatever caused their sudden stop, and the sound of a seatbelt unfastening. Desperate to see what was going on, Jesse strained his neck, trying to angle his head backwards to see what was going on behind him.

Jesse watched as Henry executed a one-armed chokehold on the driver, keeping his face far enough away to avoid the man's clawing attempts to free himself. After a long minute of struggling for both parties, the driver finally went limp. Panting for breath, Henry reached over the unconscious man and opened the drivers side door.

"Is he alright?" Mark's voice asked he pulled the driver out of the car by the collar.

"No, he's not." Henry replied, helping Mark by pushing the driver out the door. "I'm dying of blood loss, but thanks for asking. Where's Andrew?"

As if answering his question, there was a loud crunch by the ambulance's rear door. Jesse looked towards the noise and saw that someone had punched their bloody fist through the steel door, and was using that same hand to unlock it from the inside.

The door swung open, revealing a sweaty-looking Andrew standing in the street. "Knock-knock." He said tiredly.

"Really?" Mark said, sounding just as tired as the son of Zeus. "You're going with the most cliché entrance line of all time?"

"Yeah, well, I didn't have much time to prepare." Andrew said, tossing several large paper bags into the ambulance.

"I'm glad that you guys noticed my signal." Henry said, returning to the rear of the ambulance to greet Andrew. "You have no idea what we just went through."

"You can fill us in later," Mark said, climbing over the driver's seat to reach Jesse. "How bad is he?" He started unlatching Jesse's restraints as he spoke.

"He got beaten up pretty bad," Henry said as he started dragging the unconscious paramedic out of the ambulance. "Couldn't even use any healing magic."

Mark finished freeing Jesse from the stretcher and helped him rise to a seated position, pulling him up by his jacket. Jesse felt his stomach churn as he tried to hold himself up, and his head started to swim.

"He's wiped out." Mark said, "Did you use god-state?" He asked, apparently noticing the blood stains under Jesse's nose.

Jesse slowly nodded, lacking the strength to speak. Unable to help himself, Jesse laid back down, his vision growing cloudy.

"I'll handle it," Jesse heard Andrew say. "Mark, take the wheel and get us out of here."

Mark grunted his understanding and left the three heroes in the back of the ambulance as he took the driver's seat. Jesse heard Henry close the rear door behind him, having left the injured paramedic on the sidewalk with the original driver.

"Henry, toss me that first aid kit!" Andrew said as the ambulance lurched forward. Jesse heard his friend catch something and set it down next to his prone form. Andrew opened the kit and pulled a long object out of it. With his other hand, Andrew started to unbutton Jesse's bloodstained jacket.

"Alright buddy," Andrew said, "This isn't going to be the best feeling in the world, but it'll get the job done."

Jesse tried to focus his vision enough to see what Andrew was holding in his hand, but couldn't make it out. "What is that?" He managed to ask.

Andrew smiled sympathetically at Jesse before answering. "Adrenaline needle." He said, and stabbed down into Jesse's heart.

All other pain Jesse had been experiencing was forgotten the moment the needle punctured his heart. For a brief second, his mind was completely blank, unable to process a thought. Then, Andrew pressed down on a button on the device, shooting adrenaline into Jesse's bloodstream.

Almost immediately, Jesse could feel energy return to him, coursing through his veins. For a few moments, he was overwhelmed by the mass of adrenaline pumping through him, but after a few deep breaths, he was able to calm himself enough to sit up and remain seated, despite his desperate need to get up and run around.

Still panting heavily, Jesse looked around the moving vehicle and saw Henry and Andrew staring at him intently.

"Are you back?" Henry asked, his eyes filled with worry.

Jesse lifted his hand and as soon as he started to concentrate, it began to glow with a bright light. Confidence growing within him, Jesse placed the hand on his recently broken nose, and after a small push, felt the broken bones shift back into place.

Jesse nodded, "Yeah, I'm back."

Henry grinned widely and pulled Jesse in to a one-armed hug. Surprised, Jesse accepted the hug, the action only hurting his chest slightly.

He could hear Mark sigh in relief from the front seat. "You ready to tell us what happened?" The son of Hades asked as he drove.

Jesse told Mark and Andrew what happened in the armory as he proceeded to heal Henry's wounds, which included severe burns on his hands from holding Jesse's bow. He left out the part of the story in which Henry was forced to kill the young woman named Abigail, but couldn't leave out the death of Don, the store owner. Henry lowered his head when Don was mentioned, but didn't say a word.

Finally, Jesse got to the part of the story when he met Mike, the strange demigod who had beaten him to a pulp until Jesse entered his god-state. But even then, Mike had proven to be too much for Jesse and Henry to handle, and had almost killed Henry, but stopped after receiving a mysterious phone call.

"You said his name was Mike?" Mark asked.

"Yeah," Jesse said, "You know him?" He asked, remembering that he had been unable to find any information on Mike in Mark's notebook.

"I thought I did." Mark said, "But the Mike Coles I knew wasn't anywhere near that powerful."

Henry stared daggers at Mark, "You knew there was another son of Apollo and you didn't tell us?" Jesse couldn't but share Henry's frustration, and hoped that Mark had a reasonable excuse.

"I didn't tell you that because Michael ISN'T a son of Apollo." Mark said, "He's only a quarter-blood."

Jesse finished closing the bullet wound in Henry's arm, noticing that Henry was still pale as a sheet.

"So…He's my nephew?" Jesse asked.

"No way," Andrew cut in. "Quarter-bloods are never that strong."

"Well if he is a quarter blood, like Mark says," Henry said, "He somehow became extremely powerful. Don was a lot stronger than I thought he would be." He added.

"So the real question is: How are they getting so strong?" Mark said as he turned the ambulance down yet another busy New York street.

The four heroes were silent, forcing Jesse to notice the message coming through the ambulance's radio. "Wait, what did that just say?" He asked, grabbing Henry's shoulder and pointing towards the speakers.

"We repeat, a building is on fire on the corner of Fountain and Kent." The female voice reported. "All available emergency units, please respond."

Andrew's jaw dropped, "Is that-"

"Yeah," Mark said, "That's where the Arcadia Hotel is."

"Holy shit," Henry said, "You don't think…"

"We can figure out what we think later," Jesse said, "Mark, hit the sirens. We've got somewhere to be."

"Roger that." Mark said, flipping a switch by the radio, turning on the blaring sirens. Jesse felt the ambulance accelerate fiercely, and was almost thrown backwards. Still thriving on adrenaline, Jesse realized that his leg was twitching rapidly, much faster than he would have expected.

"Just take deep breaths." Henry told him, apparently having noticed Jesse's hyperactive behavior. "You're going to feel pretty intense for a couple hours, but it should fade after a while."

Jesse nodded vigorously. He did as he was told, but deep breaths weren't able to calm him down enough to prevent his hands from twitching.

"God damn it!" Mark shouted from the wheel, leaning on the horn. "Sirens or no sirens, this traffic isn't going to let us get to the hotel any time soon." He called back to the other heroes.

Henry cursed under his breath, apparently agreeing with Mark. "Andrew, take Jesse and head to the hotel. See if you two can put out the fire without drawing too much attention to yourself. There'll be a ton of mortals hanging around." Jesse could tell that Henry wanted to go as well, but was still recovering. "Here," He said, reaching into Charlie's bag and pulling out a shotgun, "Don't forget to up the Mist."

Andrew caught the gun and looked at Jesse, "You think you can handle a run?" He asked with a smirk.

Jesse jumped to his feet and opened the ambulance's rear door with his right hand, shrinking his bow with his left. "You think you can keep up?"

Both demigods jumped from the moving vehicle at the same time and broke into an immediate sprint. Weaving between cars, Jesse and Andrew dashed through traffic, somehow perfectly in sync with one another, crossing each other's paths with only inches of space between them.

"How far are we?" Jesse called to Andrew as he jumped over a taxi, barely slowing to do so.

"At this pace?" Andrew called back, sliding across the hood of the same cab. "Just a few more minutes. See the smoke?" The son of Zeus pointed towards the sunset, and Jesse could clearly see a billow of smoke, terrifyingly similar to the smoke he saw in his city on September eleventh, 2001, when he was only eight.

Shaking the disturbing memory aside, Jesse sped up, "Let's make it less!"

Andrew let out a grunt of exertion, apparently not used to running at such speed, but did his best to keep up with Jesse, only remaining a few yards behind the son of Apollo.

Jesse continued to pump his arms and legs, feeling right at home running at such a speed. The adrenaline affected more than just his body, his mind was practically overheating with his rapidly forming thoughts.

What could have started the fire? Could it be an accident? Did he actually believe that was possible? Was Warren in the hotel? Why hasn't Oliver shown up to give him some cryptic news?

"Hang a left!" Andrew called from behind him, snapping Jesse out of his daze. Flipping over the length of a Subaru, Jesse took Andrew's direction, needing to use a traffic pole to swing him around to the correct direction.

Having to spin several times to avoid smashing into pedestrians, Jesse found himself growing closer and closer to the pillar of smoke on the skyline.

"Almost there!" He called back to Andrew, who was still keeping a good pace, only a few strides behind him. "What are we supposed to do when we get there?"

"Hope that we aren't the only ones able to help!" Andrew shot back, his breathing starting to turn ragged. "Hopefully Charlie and Noah will be close by."

Jesse didn't respond, Andrew's comment triggering a suspicious thought in his mind. Oliver had told him only a few hours ago that one of his friends on the quest was the traitor. But could he really believe that Charlie would be willing to set the Arcadia Hotel on fire? Jesse shook his head, knowing that it wasn't fair to simply assume that Charlie was the traitor, simply because of their confrontation earlier. It could easily be one of the others, excluding Mark and Henry (he hoped).

"Watch out!" Andrew's voice cracked. Deep in thought, Jesse had stopped paying attention to where he was going, and had run straight into two-way traffic.

"Shit!" Jesse somersaulted forward, avoiding a minivan full of children, and sprung back up off of his hands to sail over the hood of a taxi, horns blaring around him. Jesse continued to dance through traffic, often only having inches of room between himself and a speeding car. He thanked the gods for Andrew and his use of the adrenaline needle. Even with his own demigod reflexes, he doubted that he would be able to survive such a feat without the help of the extra adrenaline pumping through his veins.

"Are you crazy?" A woman shouted once Jesse had made it to the sidewalk.

"Getting there." Jesse said, "Andrew?" Spinning around to find his friend, Jesse spotted the son of Zeus, shotgun still in hand, crossing the street much more safely than Jesse had.

"You alright?" Andrew asked.

"Yup."

"Let's go."

They started up again, sprinting right off the bat, knowing that they were only two blocks away from the hotel. Within a minute, they had reached their block. The sound of the burning building crumbling apart was almost drowned out by the approaching sirens.

"Jesse, we've got to get in there!" Andrew said, "Mortals won't be able to get in!"

Jesse nodded and followed Andrew through the front door of the hotel. Immediately, Jesse was almost overwhelmed by the amount of smoke flooding the lobby. Coughing, Jesse crouched down, trying to stay below the smoke. "What's the plan?" He shouted.

"We go up!" Andrew shouted back, running around the lobby to make sure it was empty. "We check as many rooms as we can and make sure that no one is trapped inside."

"Got it," Jesse said, smashing open a fire extinguisher container on the wall with his bare hand. He grabbed the tank and slung it over his shoulder as the two demigods broke into a run towards the stairs.

"Yeah, we're never giving you an adrenaline needle again." Andrew said as he eyed Jesse's now bleeding knuckles.

Jesse barked out a laugh, knowing full well how the extra adrenaline was affecting his behavior. They continued to dash towards the stairs, still having to crouch due to the smoke. Shotgun still in hand, Andrew lead Jesse up the stairs, taking two at a time, until they burst through the door of the second floor.

"Check all the rooms!" Andrew shouted, "I'll take the right."

Jesse grunted a reply and ran to the first door on his left. He tried the knob, but the door was locked. Not even thinking twice, Jesse rammed the door with the fire extinguisher, only having to hit it twice before it fell open.

The room was smaller than the deluxe suit that he and the other heroes had been staying in, and it didn't take long to confirm that the room was empty, and not on fire despite the intense heat.

"Clear!" He shouted, and backed out of the room.

"We're clear in here too." Andrew called back, also exiting one of the rooms. "We've got to pick up the pace!"

Jesse nodded and entered the next room, which was conveniently open. "Anyone in here?" He called, brandishing his fire extinguisher like a weapon. Lying in the middle of the room was a young teenaged boy.

"Oh, gods," Jesse exhaled and slid to his knees at the boys side. Already coating his hand in healing light, Jesse grazed his palms over the boy, but could find no injuries to heal.

"Could he have suffocated?" Jesse asked himself, placing an ear on the demigod's chest to check for a heartbeat or breathing. Hearing none, he pulled his head back up. "ANDREW!"

There was a pause, then: "Coming!"

The son of Zeus sprinted into the room, shotgun raised at eye level, ready to fire. "Jesus," He said after he had surveyed the scene, joining Jesse on the floor.

"I-I don't know what's wrong with him." Jesse stammered, "I couldn't find anything."

"Get back." Andrew said firmly. "Was there a heartbeat?" He asked, to which Jesse could only shake his head. Andrew exhaled loudly, and coughed from the smoke filling the room. "Ok, calm down." He said to himself, "Here goes."

Andrew placed his right palm on the boys chest. With a groan, his arm strained, then crackled with electricity. The half-blood's chest jolted up with the surge, then fell back down.

"Come on, Ben." Andrew said, "Clear!" The body jolted up again, the boys arms and legs seizing. "Ben, you FUCKING ASSHOLE!" Andrew shouted, "CLEAR!" The lifeless body jerked for the third time, the floor cracking beneath it.

"Jesus Christ," Jesse said, covering his mouth. "Andrew, I think-"

"Shut up, Jesse." Andrew snapped in a very un-Andrew-like fashion.

"He's dead, Andrew!" Jesse shouted back, pulling on his friend's shoulder. "And we'll be too if we don't get out of here."

Andrew remained where he was, staring at the dead body of the young demigod. "I can't believe I let this happen again." His eyes were dull, and his shoulders slumped.

"Listen, Andrew." Jesse said, "I appreciate that you're going through a traumatic event, made worse by your haunted past that I know nothing about, but need I remind you that WE ARE IN A BURNING BUILDING?"

Andrew didn't have time to respond. The cracks in the floor deepened, followed by a low groaning sound. The floor shifted beneath them, and Jesse knew it was seconds away from collapsing.

Jesse started pulling on Andrew's arm, trying to drag him away from the collapsing floor, but felt the hero drop as the floor fell apart beneath him. His grip sliding down to Andrew's hand, Jesse felt himself get pulled down by his friends weight, until he found himself hanging onto the ledge with his left hand, dangling over a large drop to the burning lobby.

"Hang on!" Jesse shouted, digging his fingers into the carpeted floor that still remained. Coughing, he looked down and saw that Andrew was staring down at the burning floor where the dead demigod's body was catching aflame.

"Andrew, focus buddy." Jesse called, trying to keep himself calm. The two friends dangled in silence, both aware of the flames climbing higher and higher towards them.

"This isn't what I saw!" Andrew called, having to pull on Jesse's arm to hoist himself over the flames.

"What?" Jesse called back, his fingers going numb.

"This isn't how I die!" Andrew said, "I mean, there'll be fire, I know that. But it isn't now!"

Jesse stared down at his friend, remembering how Mark had accidentally made the son of Zeus see his death by touching him. He opened his mouth to call back to Andrew, but was interrupted as the ledge he was dangling from shifted, about to fall into the fire.

"I hope you're right!" Jesse shouted, and felt his handhold break, and entered a free-fall.

Jesse's stomach flipped almost the second he started to fall. Suddenly aware that he was about to die, Jesse felt himself begin to panic, and he desperately reached up to try to grab the ledge again.

"I've gotcha!" A voice called above them and Jesse felt a hand grasp his wrist, jerking him to a halt in mid-air. Looking up, Jesse saw Charlie leaning almost completely over the ledge, somehow keeping himself from falling with them.

"Great timing!" Andrew called, "You mind pulling us up?"

"Sure thing! Just hang on!" Charlie called back. With a long groan, the son of Hermes pulled up on Jesse's arm, slowly elevating the two dangling heroes. Feeling like he was being torn in two, Jesse tightened his grip on Charlie's hand, vaguely aware of the tidal wave of power that emanated from his savior.

"Ok," Charlie said, "I'm going to slide my hand to your wrist. When I do that, you grab the edge. Got it?"

Jesse nodded, sweat pouring from his face. "Let's go." He said. Charlie pulled Jesse upwards fiercely, and let go of his briefly in order to grab Jesse's wrist. As soon as he started to fall again, Jesse found the ledge with his left hand and grabbed on.

"I thought you were going to slide your hand, not throw me!" Jesse shouted. With Charlie's help, he pulled himself further onto the floor until his armpit met the ledge. Now that his head was on Charlie's level, Jesse could see that the hero had planted his sword in the floor and wrapped his legs around the blade in order to hold himself up.

"Yeah, well you wouldn't have agreed to it if I told you!" Charlie replied, his trademark grin forming on his face as he clung to Jesse's shoulder. "Try swinging Andrew so I can reach him."

"Hang on!" Andrew shouted before Jesse could start swinging him upwards. With his unoccupied hand, Andrew reached back and took his staff off of the sling on his back. "Alright, let's do this before my legs melt!"

"And I don't think this floor is going to last much longer!" Charlie agreed.

Taking a smoke-filled breath, Jesse started to swing his aching shoulder back and forth, building momentum. "Ready?" He asked both heroes.

"Now or never."

"My shoes are on fire!"

Literally shouting with effort, Jesse threw Andrew upwards, only able to propel the half-blood a few feet. Jesse felt Charlie lean further over the ledge to grab Andrew's staff.

"Got him!" Charlie cheered, letting go of Jesse's shoulder to pull up Andrew with both hands. By the time Charlie had lifted Andrew high enough for him to reach the ledge, Jesse was able to climb safely to Charlie's level.

The room was so smoky that Jesse had to cover his mouth and nose with his sleeve in order to breathe comfortably. He tried to catch his breath as he watched Charlie pull Andrew up, until he too was safe.

"We have to get out of here, now!" Jesse shouted, noticing the floor was creaking under their weight.

Despite his obvious exhaustion, Andrew nodded and got to his feet, picking up the shotgun he had dropped earlier, and fled the room with Charlie and Jesse right behind him.

"What are you doing here?" Jesse asked Charlie once they were out of the room and into the hallway. "And where's Noah?"

"We saw the smoke, so we came by to help!" Charlie said, "Noah's upstairs making sure there isn't anyone left in the hotel."

"Should we go upstairs and help?" Andrew asked, choking on smoke.

"No, we should go." Charlie said, "Unlike us, Noah can't be hurt by fire."

"You don't have to tell me twice." Jesse said, and turned with the others to run to the stairs.

There was a loud crunch above them, followed by a shower of debris and a human form. The man landed with a thud, but immediately straightened himself up.

"Hey guys." Noah said, "When did you get here?"

"Long after you two, apparently." Andrew answered. Jesse noticed that Noah was wearing his brace on his injured leg, rather than using it in it's cane form.

"Whoever started this fire started one on the top floor too." Noah said, "And it's spreading fast."

"Let's not waste time then," Andrew said. Without needing to verbalize their agreement, the three demigods followed their leader as the son of Zeus bolted towards the stairwell.

Even though it was short distance Jesse ran as fast as he could, able to feel the floor beneath him creak and groan under their weight. He beat the other's to the door and grabbed the handle, and instantly pulled his hand back, his palm burning.

"Ah! Shit!" Jesse shouted, clutching his hand.

Charlie caught up to him and looked through the small window on the door. "Watch your fucking language." He said, cracking a smile. "There's nothing but fire on the other side of this door." Charlie added, "Ideas?"

"Anyone afraid of heights?" Andrew asked.

Jesse shook his head, "I got over mine by riding a Pegasus." He said. The other demigods shook their heads, giving their permission for Andrew to try out his plan. The demigod approached the closest window and smashed it open with the butt of his gun. He cleared the window completely of glass with a few more strikes with the gun, and turned to his friends.

"You still have those cable arrows I saw back at camp?" He asked Jesse.

"Funny you should ask," Jesse said, reaching back to his quiver and pulling out a long blue arrow, "I just bought more. "Well, we actually didn't pay…" He added as he removed his miniature bow from his sleeve and extended it to half of it's normal size.

"What's my target?" He asked as he put the arrow to the bowstring.

"Your call." Andrew said, "Just get us a way to land safely."

Jesse scanned the area outside of the window as quickly as he could, the floor shifting beneath them. Finding his target, Jesse clipped the small tail attached to the arrow to the bowstring, notched the arrow and pulled back on his bow.

He fired, and the arrow flew straight and true, imbedding itself into the tip of a lamppost. A long blue cable extended from the arrow back to Jesse's bow. Jesse unclipped the cable from his bowstring and planted it onto the floor with the help of a second arrow.

"Who's first?" He asked, looking back to the group.

Charlie stepped forward, "Dude, I've always wanted to try this." The son of Hermes climbed out the window and placed a foot on the cable. "SONIC THE HEDGEHOG!" Charlie shouted and kicked off the wall of the building, sending himself down the cable at a quickly increasing speed, somehow balancing on his sneakers.

"Does he take anything seriously?" Jesse asked.

"I have yet to see him do so." Noah responded as Charlie continued to slide down the cable until he reached the telephone pole and started to climb down.

Andrew patted Noah on the back and handed him his shotgun, "Here we go."

The son of Zeus leapt out the window and hooked his arm around the cable. His leather jacket protecting the crook of his arm, Andrew slid down the cable a short distance before lowering himself slightly so he could bring himself across hand over hand.

Jesse watched as, slowly but surely, Andrew made it across the entire length of the cable and was able to climb down the telephone pole safely.

"Alright!" Jesse shouted over the sounds of the roaring fires and the crumbling building. "You're next!" He turned to Noah, but his friend's normally dark face was turning pale.

"N-No way," Noah said, "I can survive a burning building, you can't!"

Jesse wanted to argue, but could easily tell that Noah was more terrified of heights than of the fire. "Fine. But you need to be right behind me."

Noah nodded, not very confidently though. Jesse gave him a long look and unstrung his bow. Turning to face the window, Jesse tried to take in a long breath, but nearly choked on the smoke around him. Suddenly claustrophobic, Jesse jumped out the window, hooked his bow around the cable and slid down towards the telephone pole, much faster than he anticipated.

Trying to suppress a terrified shout the whole way down, Jesse braced his legs to meet the telephone pole. The impact sent a shock through his already sore body, reminding him of each of his injuries that he had yet to heal.

Groaning, Jesse let go of his bow with one hand, letting himself drop for a few feet, before grabbing onto a metal foothold on the telephone pole. "No one saw us, right?" He called down to Andrew and Charlie as he shrunk his bow with his left hand.

"Nah," Andrew called back, "Everyone's a little distracted at the moment."

Jesse finished his climb down and looked at the chaos around them. Dozens of police cars and ambulances had arrived at the scene, as well as fire trucks and news vans. Many demigods were sitting on the curb, being given oxygen masks to breath into while the firefighters desperately tried to douse the flames.

"Jesus," Charlie muttered, "What the hell happened here?"

Still watching their window, waiting for Noah to climb out, Jesse replied, "You didn't see anyone who could've done this?" He asked, "No sign of Adam or his guys?"

"No," Charlie said, "No one like that, but to be honest, Noah and I went straight in to get everyone out, whoever did it could have easily gotten past us without our noticing."

"What's taking him so long?" Andrew shouted over the sirens, also staring up at their window.

"He seemed a bit afraid of heights!" Jesse shouted back, "You think that'll stop him?"

Charlie shook his head, "Not a chance. It takes more than a little drop to stop Noah."

Jesse opened his mouth to respond, but his mouth simply hung open as a burst of fire erupted from the window, followed immediately by the building crumbling down onto itself.

"NOAH!" Jesse and his friends shouted at once. Jesse felt Andrew start to sprint forward, and started to follow him, but was jerked back by his collar.

"Stop it!" Charlie shouted, holding both heroes by the back of their jackets. "Use your heads! We can't be seen running in there, when those mortals can't even make it through the front door!"

Jesse looked back at Charlie, furious that Charlie didn't want to help their friend. "What are we supposed to do then? Wait and see if he's alright?" Jesse shouted, but then saw the expression on Charlie's face.

Charlie was visibly shaking, and his face was pale. His eyes staring blankly ahead, the son of Hermes was, for once, at a loss for words.

"No, he's right." Andrew said, "We can't just go charging in there in front of the police."

"What are we supposed to do then?" Jesse barked, his concern sounding more like anger.

"We wait for him to come out." Charlie said, his tone flat. He let Jesse out of his grip, and sat down on the curb of the sidewalk, staring intently on the hotel doors. Jesse stayed where he was, knowing that the adrenaline pumping through his veins wouldn't let him remain seated for long. Behind them, Andrew paced back and forth, clenching and unclenching his fists.

A long minute passed. The building continued to sway and crumble. The police officers, paramedics and firefighters had to back further away from the building, obviously expecting the building to collapse.

"He'll be fine." Andrew said, "We know that."

Charlie nodded, "You're right, if anyone can get out of this, it's Noah." He said, but didn't sound very convinced.

Andrew continued to pace, "No, it's not that." He said, "The prophecy told us that we'll be eight, then six. We're still only seven."

Jesse remained where he was, nowhere near as optimistic. "Maybe," He could only say, remembering Oliver telling him that the prophecy only predicted the best-case scenario.

"I'm telling you guys," Andrew continued, speaking almost frantically. "Give him a few minutes, but Noah will be marching out of there in no time."

Jesse tried to agree with him, but couldn't find the right words. From the corner of his eye, he saw something at the hotel doors, and whipped his head back towards the building.

"Holy shit," Jesse said, squinting his eyes in an attempt to see through the debris.

Charlie's head shot up, "You see him?" He asked, jumping to his feet.

"I think so!" Jesse said, a smile growing across his face. The shadow of a large figure made it's way through the smoky hotel doors until it broke through the haze, revealing their friend.

Noah's head was bleeding, the stream passing his left eye. He was limping heavily, his leg brace seemed to have been crushed by something. Stopping only to keel over to cough out smoke, Noah stumbled away from the door, wiping the soot from his eyes.

"GUN! HE HAS A GUN!" A voice in the crowd of police officers shouted.

Jesse's heart dropped as every police officer around them pulled out their side arms and pointed them at his friend.

"Put it down! PUT IT DOWN" Dozens of voices commanded.

Noah looked around, his face frozen in an expression of shock. He dropped the shotgun in his hand immediately, and started to raise his arms.

"What the hell?" Charlie asked, "How can they see the gun? What's wrong with the Mist?"

"I have no idea!" Andrew shouted, his hands on his head. Already, the police officers were converging in on Noah, guns still trained on the half-blood. "This isn't good."

"You can say that again," Jesse said, "Young black kid with a gun found in front of a burning building? That's all a New York cop needs."

Running a hand through his hair, Charlie started walking towards the crowd of police officers. "Follow my lead."

Andrew and Jesse immediately followed, "What are we doing?" Jesse asked, catching up to Charlie.

"Something stupid." He replied. Charlie extended his arm and grabbed the nearest cop by the collar and yanked back, pulling the man onto the ground. Without breaking stride, Charlie wrenched the gun out of the officer's grip and used it to strike another cop in the head.

"Really?" Jesse shouted as the second policeman fell to the ground, not going unnoticed by his companions, "That's your plan?"

"Yup!" Charlie shouted back before dropping the gun and charging through the crowed of policemen, knocking aside anyone in his way. Jesse looked towards Andrew, who only shrugged, and the two heroes followed the divine candidate.

Unlike Charlie, Jesse and Andrew weren't able to use the element of surprise. The cops that Charlie knocked over were getting up by the time Jesse and Andrew were coming through, and were ready for them.

Ready or not, the mortal cops were no match for the two half-bloods. Men fell left and right, victims of Andrew and Jesse's half-hearted punches and kicks. Jesse almost liked being in a fight in which he knew there was no way he would lose, and it didn't hurt that he was finally able to put the pent up energy he had to use, if only some of it.

"Do we have an exit strategy?" Jesse asked as he blocked a punch with his forearm.

"I forgot to think of one!" Charlie shouted to him, fighting back to back with Noah.

"Well, it looks like it remembered us!" Andrew called, pointing to something behind Jesse.

The son of Apollo ducked under an attempted tackle from a burley police officer, sending the man over his shoulder, and turned around. An ambulance was speeding towards them, sirens blazing. There was a squeal as the driver hit the brakes, and the vehicle skidded around until the back of the ambulance faced them. The doors swung open, revealing a young man.

"Now THAT'S how you make a freakin' entrance!" Henry shouted, "Get in, we've got places to be!"

"Hot damn!" Charlie shouted. "Let's get out of this city!" Without missing a beat, he head butted an attacking uniform and made his way to the ambulance, giving the injured Noah his shoulder for support.

Distracted by his friends appearance, Jesse was caught unawares when he was struck in the back of the head by a policeman's baton. Seeing stars, Jesse spun around with a roundhouse kick, sending the man sprawling to the ground.

Clutching his head, Jesse ran towards the ambulance, jumping into the vehicle and pulling Andrew up after him. "Drive!" He shouted towards the front.

"You don't have to tell me twice." Mark's voice replied. The ambulance sped forward, it's siren still wailing, as Andrew and Charlie closed the rear doors.

Jesse watched from the window as the dozens of police officers helped each other up off the ground, while others raced towards their cars to give chase. "Probably not our best decision, Charlie." Jesse said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Sadly, it wasn't the worst idea I've ever had." Charlie said, sitting down on the stretcher, still coughing out smoke.

"Anyone going to tell us what Henry and I missed?" Mark asked from the driver's seat as he turned a corner.

"I wish we knew," Noah said, already tinkering with his broken leg brace. "One thing's for sure though: We're wanted for arson."

"And murder," Jesse chimed in, remembering the dead demigod he and Andrew had found.

Andrew sat down next to Mark in the passenger seat, resting his head on the dashboard. "I can't believe we're only four days into this quest."

"Tell me about it," Charlie agreed, "Have you guys heard from Derek?"

Henry shook his head, "Even if he tried to call us, my cell blew up, and Derek doesn't have Mark's number."

"The I-bomb worked?" Noah asked, high-fiving Henry.

"I'll call him." Charlie said, pulling his cell out of his pocket. "Uh-oh, five missed calls from him." He added, quickly dialing a number into his phone. Once the call connected, he put his cell on speaker-phone, allowing the other five heroes to hear it ring.

"Why aren't you guys answering your phones?" Derek's whispered voice lectured. "I've been trying for twenty minutes now!"

"Sorry Derek," Charlie said, "It's hard to hear your phone over the sound of burning buildings."

"What?" Derek asked, still whispering, "Wait, forget it, I don't care. There are half bloods guarding the entrance of the Labyrinth!"

"Shit," Jesse muttered, leaning back on the side of the ambulance. "I guess Adam heard where we were going."

"Or he guessed," Mark said, "It doesn't matter either way." The son of Hades turned another corner, "But our troubles are only starting."

"What do you mean?" Derek asked over the phone.

"We're being followed," Mark said, glancing at his side mirrors. "And not by cops."

Author's note part 2: Anyway, I have a few updates. Mark is still winning the favorite character poll, but Henry Spencer is quickly catching up, so keep voting! Speaking of Henry, I received an email from one of my followers, which contained a love letter for my favorite son of Poseidon. I found this hilarious, and it got me thinking. If any of you have questions for the characters, please send me a message and I'll do my best to answer them. In fact, if I really like what you asked, I'll post what was written at the end of the next chapter (which won't take as long to write, I promise). Names will be kept secret unless permission is given. Also, about reviews: In my opinion, there aren't enough. I see plenty of stories on this site that aren't very good, but have five times the amount of reviews! Come on guys, help me help you! If you do review, try to keep it on task, whether it be positive or negative, i don't care. Just don't post three reviews in a row only talking about your birthday and your chest hair. Kind of weird to tell people that, O'Liathain… Last thing, since it's been a while since the last update, I encourage readers to go back and read some of the earlier chapters and make sure you still remember everything. Just a thought. Thanks for following guys. May the force be with you.


	19. Chapter 19

Author's note: I know, I know. I'm sorry guys. That's all I'll say, since there really isn't an excuse that would be considered acceptable. Sorry guys. Anyway, it's been a while, duh. I suggest going back a few chapters to get a refresher on what's going on. I should also let you guys know, I took some liberties on the geography of New York City. Hopefully, only you Yankees out there will notice or care, but I hope you forgive me. Anyway, enjoy.

"Are you serious?" Charlie asked, leaving his seat to look out the rear window.

"Yup," Mark said, "Three cars back. The blue Subaru was parked by the hotel when Henry and I got there. It immediately started up when we left."

Jesse joined Charlie, his keen eyes honing in on the car immediately. Even through the slightly tinted windshield, he could make out the man in the drivers seat.

"Uh-oh." He said, pressing his eyes to the glass. "It's not just anyone."

Henry stood up, obviously a little shaky on his feet. "Who is it?" He asked.

"It's Adam."

Even at that distance, Jesse could see the enraged expression on Adam's face, contorted even more by the large scar that whipped from the unclaimed demigod's right eye to beneath his shirt. Jesse watched as Adam gave him a small wave, obviously well aware that his cover was blown.

"Adam's there?" Derek asked, his voice crackling through the cell phone. "You guys need to move it!"

"I second that," Noah said, agreeing with his best friend. "Adam is too smart to come after us by himself. He'll have a small army backing him up."

"Shit, shit, shit." Andrew muttered. "Ideas?"

"Book it to the Lincoln Tunnel?" Jesse chimed in.

"But how will we get there alive?" Charlie added, "We're being followed by Adam and his crew, not to mention there are already demigods at the entrance to the Labyrinth, AND traffic is going to be a bitch. I can't imagine us getting all the way there without them catching up to us."

"I can take care of these guys, no problem." Derek said, "Just say the word."

"Boom," Henry said, slapping his hand on the wall. "I've got an idea."

"Well don't keep us in suspense MacGyver." Mark said, "What's the plan?"

"Charlie," Henry said, "You mind asking your dad a favor?"

The son of Hermes stepped away from the doors, running his hands through his hair. Jesse could see that Charlie's fingers were trembling slightly.

"Good thinking, Henry." Andrew said, turning around in the passenger seat. "C'mon Charlie, just make an exception."

"Exception?" Jesse asked, looking at Henry, but his friend only shook his head and placed a finger to his lips. Jesse shut his mouth, aware that, as usual, he was out of the loop.

Letting out a frustrated groan, Charlie dropped his arms. "Fine," He said, "I'll call. But I can't promise that he'll answer."

"Whatever you're planning on doing, do it soon." Mark said, "Adam isn't the only one following us anymore."

The heroes looked out the window, seeing several police cars joining Adam's chase. Despite the sirens, few of the other cars pulled over to let the police pass them. "Typical New Yorkers." Jesse said under his breath.

"What's going on?" Derek's whispered voice came from Charlie's phone. "Can I beat these guys up yet?"

Charlie tossed his phone to Henry and started clearing things off of the stretcher, including Noah.

Catching the phone, Henry put it closer to his mouth. "Go ahead, but keep a low profile."

"No promises," Derek said, "I'll meet you at the tunnel." There was a click, and Derek was gone.

Henry snapped the phone closed, shoved it in his pocket and slumped down next to Jesse. The sat in silence as Charlie took off his shoes and positioned himself to a kneeling position on top of the stretcher.

"Ok, I have to ask." Jesse blurted out. "What the hell are we doing?"

"Charlie's praying to his father." Andrew said, his voice slightly hushed, "And if Hermes answers, traffic will hopefully move to our advantage."

Jesse raised his eyebrows, "Neat trick, I guess." He said, not totally impressed. It made sense considering that Hermes was the god of travel, but he had expected something more spectacular.

"Just make the offering so we can get out of here." Mark snapped, impatient.

Charlie, who's face looked almost serene, took his shoes and placed them in front of him. Keeping his eyes closed, Charlie kept his hands over his shoes for a moment. Without warning, Jesse felt a surge of pure energy explode from Charlie, so strong that Jesse was afraid he would be knocked over. Jesse glanced towards Henry, but his friend seemed unaffected. He looked at the others, and it seemed that the other heroes had either been able to ignore the energy, or hadn't noticed it in the first place.

"They aren't able to feel what you can." A voice said to his left.

Jesse, immediately recognizing the voice, glanced to the side without moving his head. Oliver was sitting on Henry's other side, leaning forward in his seat, his elbows on his knees.

"No need to speak out loud." Oliver said, "Just project your thoughts towards me."

Trying not to visibly react to Oliver, Jesse did his best to do as his half-brother instructed. "_You can hear this?_"

"Yup." Oliver said, "I would have suggested this earlier, but you weren't ready."

"_Because I hadn't reached_ _god-state?_" Jesse asked, almost speaking out loud before catching himself.

Oliver nodded, "Among other things on my end."

Jesse could help but raise an eyebrow, "_Your end? You mean the afterlife?_"

Oliver shook his head, "If I could tell you, I would." He said, "Now, we only have a short period of time before Charlie finishes his prayer and the other's will notice you again."

Jesse looked around, seeing that his friends were all staring intently at Charlie, waiting for him to snap out of his trance. Even Mark was constantly glancing at the rearview mirror.

"_Fine, why are you here?_" Jesse asked.

"What? Tired of me already?" Oliver asked, as if slightly amused. "First, I'm here because my prison guard has dozed off again."

"_There are prison guards in Hades?_"

"Second, I realized that I won't be able to do this again for a long while." Oliver said, "My reach only extends so far in my current state."

"_Wait, why not?_" Jesse asked, "_And what do you mean by prison guard?_"

Oliver raised his hand, silencing the technically already silent Jesse. "I can't answer everything, Jesse." He said. "I'm really here to warn you about your god-state. I'm sure you already realized that you dodged a huge bullet today."

"_I seem to remember getting shot multiple times, but go ahead._" Jesse projected.

"I'm referring to how you almost killed yourself today." Oliver said, "Before the god-state was a forgotten technique, it was a forbidden one, and for good reason. That's how Houdini died."

"_Ok, ok._" Jesse almost rolled his eyes, "_I'll be more careful_." He couldn't help but feel put off by Oliver's warning. The famed demigod seemed right at home bossing his younger brother around without answering any of Jesse's questions.

"Luckily for you," Oliver continued, sounding slightly rushed. "You're in good company if you want to learn to control your god-state."

"_Am I though?_" Jesse insisted, "_You keep telling me that I'm constantly with the one who will betray us, but you want me to trust these guys enough to have them teach me to take the next step?_"

Oliver lowered his head, "I understand how complicated your situation is, trust me, I do."

"_I doubt it._" Jesse shot back.

"Jesse, I've known everything about this quest, including my death, since I was eight years old." Oliver stood in his seat, staring down at his brother. Jesse tried not to flinch, but couldn't help it. At the corner of his eye, he saw Noah glance at him curiously, then look away.

Looking up at Oliver without moving his head, Jesse stared at the apparition, "_You're right, you've had it worse than me, congrats._" He said with this thoughts, "_But if you want it to amount to anything, you need to give me more information than you have been. I'm drowning here._"

Oliver opened his mouth to speak, but started to blur in Jesse's eyes. Confused, Jesse rubbed his eyes, and when he looked again, Oliver was still there, but was covered in blood. Jesse immediately recognized Oliver's condition as what he had seen in Oliver's secret room at camp. The broken left arm, the missing ear and demolished nose. But there were also injuries that Jesse hasn't seen on Oliver's corpse. His wrists and ankles were broken and bleeding and his shirt was ripped open on the side, revealing a large gash spread across his stomach.

As blood poured from his wounds, Jesse watched as the red liquid fell to the floor, but only passed through it rather than forming a pool of red on the steel floor. Feeling his jaw drop, Jesse struggled not to shout in surprise.

And then, as quickly as it had appeared, the wounded Oliver was gone. In his place was Jesse's brother, uninjured, with hands on his knees and panting heavily.

"I…I have to go." He said between breaths. "But you need to understand that…that I CAN'T give you the information you need. And now you know what happens to me when I try."

Jesse stared at Oliver, his head reeling. "_Don't go disappearing on me!_" he projected, but as if on cue: Oliver was gone.

Jesse looked around, not looking for Oliver, but checking to see if his friends had noticed any of what Jesse had seen. But the other demigods were intently waiting on Charlie's prayer.

"Oh, shit." Henry said, breaking the silence within the ambulance. "Look!" He pointed just in front of Charlie, where the son of Hermes had placed his winged sneakers. Next to the Chuck Taylor sneakers, a shimmering light began to form. The light began to focus into a smaller area and took shape into a small rectangle.

Slowly, the light dimmed until it completely faded away, revealing a small GPS device lying on the stretcher.

"Ask, and ye shall receive." Andrew said, climbing over his seat. "Good work, Charlie."

The son of Hermes wiped a bead of sweat from his brow and climbed off the stretcher. "Looks like he didn't need an offering this time." He said, putting his shoes back on.

"Guys," Mark said from behind the wheel. "Don't forget that we are currently being pursued by the New York police as well as Adam and his band of merry men."

"Right," Jesse said, snapping back to attention. He picked up the golden GPS device and turned it over in his hand. "How is this supposed to work?" His index finger found a small button on the top, and he pressed it without question.

The device ripped itself from Jesse's hands and flew towards the front of the vehicle, sticking itself to the windshield.

"Please state your destination." A voice from the machine said.

"Whoa!" Noah said, standing from his seat, apparently having already fixed his leg brace. "Charlie, is that your voice?"

"Please state your destination."

"No," Charlie said, his tone flat, "That would be my father's." Jesse had made the same assumption that Noah had, but then noticed that the voice sounded a bit older, but still startlingly similar.

"Please state your destination."

"Will someone state the damn destination?" Henry shouted, his gaze focused behind them on the cars pursuing theirs.

"Please state your destination."

"Lincoln Tunnel, New Jersey!" Andrew said, leaning forward to speak into the machine's microphone.

"You have chosen: Lincoln Tunnel, New Jersey." Hermes' automated voice said, "Now taking control of the vehicle."

"Taking what, now?" Mark asked. Several golden wires flew from the GPS and inserted themselves into the steering wheel.

"Control over the vehicle has been accomplished." The GPS said, "Will reach destination with lessened traffic in twenty minutes."

"Twenty minutes?" Jesse asked, "No way that's possible."

"Yes, way." The machine said, "Please relax, and enjoy your trip."

The car swerved fiercely, taking a sharp left turn into opposing traffic. The ambulance weaved between the cars like magic, which it probably was. Jesse found himself being thrown to the side, knocking Charlie over, as the ambulance swerved.

"I'm not the one doing this, guys!" Mark shouted.

"We know!" Henry shouted, apparently having been knocked over, and was having trouble standing back up. "We'll just have to trust that Hermes can handle driving."

The ambulance blazed through the street, weaving around cars and across the different lanes.

Charlie helped Jesse back to his feet, "In the meantime, are we still being pursued?"

Noah hoisted Henry off the ground and peered out the window. "Well, the cops aren't."

"And Adam?" Andrew asked.

"A bit further back than before, but with friends." Noah replied, "I count three cars, including his."

"Let's make it less." Henry said, "Jesse?"

Jesse taouched the bow taped to his wrist, and heated it, causing it to grow to a quarter of it's normal size, snapping the tape and falling into his hand. The son of Apollo moved to the door of the ambulance and took a knee, bringing himself to eye-level of the hole Andrew had punched through the door when they first hijacked the ambulance.

Drawing a celestial arrow, Jesse set it to his bow. He pulled the string back with his right arm, pointing his left index finger to sight his target.

"Any day now, Cantor." Charlie said behind him, his tone failing to hide his anxiety.

"Hey, this isn't exactly an easy shot, but if you want to give it a try be my guest." Jesse shot back. Charlie didn't respond, and Jesse went back to his bow. Finally satisfied with his target, Jesse fired the arrow.

The bronze shaft flew from the hole in the ambulance and drifted down to street level until it skimmed the pavement, causing it to skip back up and strike the front tire of the second car. Jesse went from excited to confused within seconds as he watched his arrow glance harmlessly off of the tire.

"What the hell was that?" He asked, reaching for a second arrow.

"Damn," Noah said, "I'd guess that they somehow shielded their cars, or at least their tires, with celestial bronze strong enough to block your arrows."

"Guys! Turn's coming!" Mark shouted from the front of the van. Within moments, the four demigods in the back of the vehicle were thrown to the left as the ambulance took a hard turn.

"God damn it!" Charlie shouted, "How're we doing?"

"They're still on our tail." Henry said, his face pale. "Any idea how close we are to the highway?"

Jesse scrambled to the front of the ambulance and looked out the left window, spotting a street sign. "We're very close if I remember correctly." He said, "Once we get on the highway we should be able to speed up and hopefully lose these guys."

"Or they'll be able to attack us without endangering the public, assuming the GPS will prevent any traffic from getting in our way." Mark said, "We need to get rid of them before we get on the open road."

"I don't think arrows will work." Noah said, "Henry, try water logging these bastards."

Henry nodded, "Andrew, tell me when we're about to pass over a manhole for the sewer. I'll need to start moving the water early if I want to hit Adam."

Jesse watched as Henry positioned himself into a stance similar to the one he took in the monster-filled parking garage. It took him a second to figure out that Henry planned to fire a jet of water from the manhole just as Adams car passed over it. "Passing over a manhole in five seconds…" Andrew said.

Henry nodded, "If I can time this right, we should be home-free." Jesse heard his friend count five seconds under his breath, then he pushed his arms upwards, flexing as if he was carrying a huge weight.

But he stopped suddenly, his arms only half-way extended. "What was that?" He asked himself quietly. Henry keeled over, blood pouring from his mouth and nose.

"The fuck?" Jesse shouted, and caught Henry as he fell, beating Charlie to it.

Henry's face was already pale as a sheet, and blood continued to gush from between his lips.

"What's happening?" Mark called, turning in the drivers seat, no longer in control of the vehicle.

"I have no idea!" Jesse shouted. He placed a hand on Henry's forehead, "Damn, he's burning up."

The demigods swayed to the side as the ambulance took a hard left, the tires squealing. Jesse fell backwards, sprawling out on the floor.

"Could he have reacted badly to using his god state?" Noah asked as he helped Jesse to his feet.

"I doubt it," Andrew said, kneeling down next to Henry, tilting the son of Poseidon's head to the side to keep him from choking on his own blood, "He has more control over it that you and I do, Noah."

"What else could it be?" Jesse asked.

"Adam's still right on our tail!" Charlie said from where he stood by the window, "Someone pass me my backpack."

"Henry looked pretty shaken up for a while, actually," Mark said, "Maybe he's just sick?"

"Here you are, Charlie." Noah said, having to speak over Mark. He tossed Charlie the magic backpack, and Charlie caught it with one hand. The son of Hermes reached into the bag, and pulled out a handgun with a long silencer attached to the barrel.

"He's been shaky ever since we got out of the garage!" Jesse said, "Wait, what are you doing with that?" He asked Charlie.

Charlie dropped to a knee and aimed down the sight of the gun through the hole in the door, "Their car is shielded from bronze, let's see if it can stop lead." He pulled the trigger just as the ambulance swerved, throwing off the shot.

Jesse looked out the window and saw Adam's windshield shatter apart, revealing the son of Demeter clutching a bleeding arm.

"Balls!" Charlie spat, looking up from the gun. "A warning would have been nice, Mark!"

"Hey, I'm not driving anymore, Shepherd." Mark shot back, "Jesse, did anything happen to Henry while you two were gone?"

"Uh," Jesse tried to think back, but the rattling of the ambulance and his racing heart made it difficult to concentrate. "He got shot! But I pulled the bullet out, though."

"Was that what you healed in the ambulance? On his arm?" Andrew asked, standing up now that Henry had stopped coughing blood. Jesse nodded, making Andrew close his eyes in concentration.

"Did you pull out the bullet with your bare hand?" He asked.

Jesse nodded again, "Yeah, I did. It's not like I had a bottle of Purell and tweezers handy."

"What are you getting at, Andrew?" Noah asked.

"He thinks that Jesse might have gotten Henry sick," Mark said. "And if that's true, then Henry is dieing."

"Wait, what?" Jesse asked, vaguely aware that Charlie was firing at the cars behind them again. "How?"

"Your healing abilities isn't just magic, Jesse." Andrew said, "It's also science. Your energy strengthens the tissue of the body, but it would also increase the strength and presence of a disease or a virus. If I'm right, then you may have given Henry an infection when you removed the bullet. From what I hear about Oliver, he'd have to be very specific when he healed people, in order to avoid strengthening germs."

"Oh my God," Jesse said, "I had no idea. Is there anything we can do?"

"We need some clean ambrosia ASAP." Andrew said, "Or at the very least, get him to a hospital."

"How the hell are we supposed to get ambrosia on the way to the Labyrinth?" Noah asked.

The window on the back of their ambulance shattered as several bullets crashed through it. The heroes covered their faces as glass sprayed over the six of them. Jesse fell forward, covering Henry's face with his jacket.

"Everyone stay below the window's level!" Andrew shouted, raising his head slightly. "Anyone hurt?" The other heroes sounded off, the only injury being a small cut on Marks face.

"Left pocket." Henry's strained voice muttered. Flecks of blood flew from his lips as he spoke. "Left pocket!" He said again.

Keeping his head down, Jesse slid his hand into Henry's jean pocket and felt a small object wrapped in cloth. Unable to recognize it by touch alone, Jesse pulled the item out of Henry's pocket and unwrapped it.

"Henry, why do you have this?" Jesse asked, showing the others the small piece of ambrosia in his palm.

"Oh, shit." Noah said from behind Jesse, "You brought ambrosia and didn't tell us?"

"Not what you think." Henry said, his pain evident in his voice. "Broke off a piece of the poisoned ambrosia before we tossed it."

"Why, though?" Jesse asked, careful not to touch the ambrosia with his bare hands to keep himself from possibly getting poisoned. "It's still poisoned, right?"

Behind him, Jesse could hear Charlie returning fire with his silenced pistol, only to need to duck down almost immediately as their pursuers returned fire.

"Only chance we have." Henry said weakly. "Find a way to purge it."

"You think that'd work?" Andrew asked, not sounding very confidant.

Henry opened his mouth to speak, but it seemed as if even that was too much for him. He coughed out more blood, turning his head to do so onto the floor, rather than Jesse's face.

"I don't think we have time to guess whether or not it'll work." Charlie said, ducking under the window to reload his pistol. "Noah, put that big brain of yours to work."

"Ok, ok." Noah said, clearly flustered. "Let me think for a second."

"Merging onto highway." Hermes' voice sounded from the GPS.

"Shit," Andrew said, "Being on an open highway is going to make the job of cornering us a lot easier."

Jesse ran a hand through his hair, his heart racing. "Either way, I'd rather be in here than walking. But we need to get Henry back in action before we reach the Labyrinth's entrance."

Charlie took a break from firing at the cars behind them, "We have two more tails on us!" He said, trying to remain calm.

Staying slouched under the level of the broken window, Mark scuttled to the back of the ambulance and joined Charlie, drawing a shotgun from the magic bag.

"Alright, I think I've got it." Noah said, "Does anyone have a cup or something?"

Jesse looked at the other demigods, knowing that he didn't have one. After a moment, Andrew reached into his back pocket and revealed a steel flask and tossed it to Noah. Moments before the son of Hephaestus caught it, Jesse noticed that the flask was engraved with three letters, "BNH".

"Try not to break it." Andrew shouted over the sound of Mark's shotgun discharging.

Noah nodded and caught the flask with his left hand. With his right, Noah reached into one of his many pockets and pulled out an object too small for Jesse to identify. After placing it carefully on the floor, Noah shouted the word "Activate".

The tiny object immediately started to expand, and as it did, Jesse was able to realize what it was. Within seconds, the microscope reached standard size and shimmered with a dazzling gold that reflected off of the cold steel of the ambulance walls.

Careful not to touch the poisoned food with bare skin, Noah broke off a tiny corner of the ambrosia and dropped it into the small mouth of Andrew's flask.

"What are you planning?" Jesse asked, trying not to sound panicked. He could feel Henry's grip on his hand weaken gradually, and the pulse of the son of Poseidon seemed to slow beneath his fingertips.

"I'll tell you, if it works." Noah said. Lifting the flask to eye-level, Noah sparked a flame on his thumb and held it under the flask.

"How are we doing back there?" Andrew called to the rear of the ambulance as he lifted Henry to a seated position so that Henry's back rested against his chest.

"Not great!" Charlie shouted back. "Adam is having his boys take advantage of the lack of traffic!"

As Charlie spoke, the ambulance was rocked by a volley of bullets coming from the left of the vehicle.

"The hell was that?" Noah asked, almost dropping the flask.

Andrew grabbed Noah's hand, steadying the flask. "Focus, buddy. Let Charlie handle it."

"Why's it gotta be me?" Charlie shouted, but with no real frustration in his voice.

"I'll do it." Mark said, "Jesse, lend me your jacket."

"Mark, what are you-"

The son of Hades cut Jesse off, "Are you going to give me the jacket, or let me get shot?"

"Yeah, sure." Jesse said, shrugging the jacket off of his shoulders. His sore back groaned as he took off the garment, which shimmered as he removed it. As he handed the jacket to his bodyguard, Jesse felt the weight disappear and felt as if he was fifty pounds lighter. But with the sensation came a feeling of vulnerability he hadn't felt since he discovered that the lion skin was bulletproof.

"Thanks," Mark said as he put the jacket on. The lion skin shifted as soon as it touched Mark's shoulders and took the form of a dark trench coat. "Stay down," He said to Jesse, and clambered over the drivers seat of the ambulance. Jesse turned and watched as Mark swung the door open and climbed onto the roof of the car, and out of view.

"That guy is crazy." Andrew said under his breath.

"Speaking of crazy…" Noah said. He was peering into the lens of the microscope, apparently having already placed a drop of melted ambrosia on the tray.

"What is it?" Jesse asked, pushing the unconscious Henry to Andrew's arms.. Staying crouched, he slid over to Noah's side.

"Take a look." Noah said, moving his head back so that Jesse could study the ambrosia under the microscope. At first, the only things that Jesse could see within the golden pool were small air bubbles. But after a moment, Jesse's eyes seemed to zoom in closer to the image, and he was able to make out what looked like tiny insects swimming in the ambrosia.

"The hell?" He exclaimed.

"Exactly," Noah said.

"What is it?" Andrew asked.

"There are bugs in the ambrosia!" Jesse told him, having to once again shout in order to be heard over the sound of gunfire.

"Close." Noah said, "They're actually mechanical spiders."

"What?" Andrew and Jesse said at the same time.

"Yeah," Noah said, "Turns out that the ambrosia isn't poisoned at all. These guys will just release a toxin once eaten."

"Oh, is that all?" Charlie shouted.

"Wait," Andrew said, "How do you know that?"

"Because I designed them!" Noah replied.

"WHAT?" Jesse shouted.

"I'm just as confused as you are!" Noah shouted back, "But we'll have to worry about it later."

There was a long moment before anyone spoke again.

"So what do we do?" Jesse asked.

Noah opened his mouth, but was interrupted by the scream of twisting metal.

"Holy shit!" Charlie shouted.

Jesse lifted his head to see what Charlie was staring at. As their ambulance continued to speed away, Jesse was able to see the wreckage of a car that seemed to have been torn completely in half.

"God damn, did Mark do that?" Andrew asked.

"I'm guessing yes." Noah said, "But lets take care of this before the Q&A."

"You have an idea?" Jesse asked.

Noah only nodded as he finished breaking the ambrosia apart and placing the crumbs into Andrews flask. "We don't know how bad Henry's infection is, so we'll have to use as much ambrosia as we can." He said.

"Is that safe?" Andrew asked, Henry's head flopped onto his shoulder.

"Safer than doing nothing." Charlie said, "Do it."

"Alright." Noah said, "Andrew, the spiders obviously won't melt, so I'll need you to try to shut them down with a jolt of electricity."

"Sure." Andrew said, as Noah tossed the flask to him. "But you owe me a new one if the flask gets fried."

"Put it on my tab." Noah said.

Grasping the flask in both hands, Andrew shut his eyes tight, his face in a pose of intense focus. There was no sound, but Jesse's keen eyes spotted a small spark of electricity dance down Andrew's arm.

"Ok," Andrew said, "That should do it."

"Great." Noah said, "I'll just take another look at a sample to make sure the bots were-"

The ambulance was suddenly rocked by some sort of collision to their left, sending all the heroes sprawling. Above them, there was a loud "crunch" followed by the sound of metal being torn.

Jesse looked up and saw that a blade had punctured the steel top of the ambulance and had been dragged across the roof nearly three feet.

"You still there, Mark?" Jesse shouted, guessing that Mark had planted his sword into the ambulance to keep himself from being thrown off.

"Yeah, I'm fine!" Mark said, "Give me a second, I'm coming back in!"

"Ok, it's getting way too hot out there," Charlie said, "We're going to need Henry active if we want to get out of this alive."

"Agreed," Andrew said, "No time for safety checks."

"Whoa!" Jesse said, "You guys sure about this?"

Andrew shrugged honestly. "Noah, what's the math on this?"

Noah's eyes darted around for a second, "I dunno, I guess around 94%?"

"Still an A" Charlie said. "Do it."

Andrew nodded and lifted Henry's chin back to pour the liquid ambrosia into his friend's mouth. Just before the ambrosia could leave the mouth of the flask, Jesse snatched it out of Andrews hand and, before the others could protest, let the first few drops fall into his own mouth.

"Whoa!" Charlie shouted, "What the hell are you doing?"

"What Henry would do for any of us!" Jesse shouted back.

None of the heroes responded. They only stared at Jesse, waiting for him to either collapse, or hand the flask back to Andrew. The sound of another car somehow being ripped apart seemed to be far away from the tension in the ambulance.

Without warning, a sense of warmth rushed throughout Jesse's body. It was brief, but he immediately felt all of his injuries start to ebb away.

Panting, Jesse handed the flask back to Andrew. "We're good." He said.

Andrew nodded his thanks to Jesse, and proceeded to pour the contents of his flask into Henry's mouth. Thankfully, Henry was aware enough to swallow the liquid without any help, but did not respond immediately in any other way.

"Give it a minute." Noah said, noticing Jesse's look of concern.

As they all stared at Henry, Mark climbed back into the ambulance by way of the driver's side window.

"Everyone ok?" He asked, sheathing one of his swords.

"HOLY SHIT!" Henry shouted, sitting up, making the other heroes jump. His shoulders heaved as he panted for breath. "What the fuck happened?"

"Are you alright?" Andrew asked, crawling around Henry to see his face.

"Never better." Henry said, wiping his nose. "Did we lose them?"

"Not yet." Jesse said, his head still reeling from his own taste of ambrosia.

"Then why aren't they shooting at us?" Henry asked.

"That's actually a good point," Noah said, "How many did you take out, Mark?"

"Just two," The son of Hades said, "The other three cars backed off a bit, though."

Jesse stepped forward, next to Charlie, and peered out the window, seeing some movement at Adam's car.

"Uh, guys?" Jesse said, a flash premonition of dread filling his body. "Something's about to happen."

"What?" Andrew asked, "How do you know?"

"Does the term 'Son of Apollo' mean anything to you?" Henry asked. "What's going to happen, Jesse?"

Bristling despite the heat, Jesse shook his head. "I don't know yet."

"Let me take a look." Noah said as he slid past Jesse to take a better look through the window.

"See anything?" Henry asked.

Noah, who had pulled a full telescope from his sleeve, responded after a moment. "Some guy is hanging from the window of the front car. I think he has a bow, or something."

"Let me take a look." Jesse said, taking the telescope and peering into the lens. Propping his elbow on the ridge of the broken window to steady the scope, Jesse was able to clearly see the three remaining vehicles pursuing them, with Adam's Subaru leading the way. As Noah had said, there was a young man suspending himself with his legs in order to hang out of one of the back windows, a crossbow in hand.

"Oh, shit." Jesse exhaled as he was able to identify the man.

"Someone you know?" Andrew asked.

"Yeah." Jesse said, returning the telescope to Noah. "Its Mike. My nephew, apparently."

"Wait, nephew?" Charlie asked.

Mark waved a hand, "It's true. I'll explain later."

From the corner of his eye, Jesse saw a slight spark appear at the side of Adams car and, at the same time, he felt a premonition that shook him to his core.

"GET DOWN!" Noah shouted next to him, apparently seeing through the telescope what Jesse had sensed. All the heroes ducked down immediately, but Jesse watched in horror as Henry slipped in a puddle of his own blood, sending him sprawling backwards, no longer safe behind cover.

Pushing past every instinct screaming at him not to, Jesse kicked off the wall and sprung towards Henry, tackling him to the ground. As he did, he felt a lancing pain along his right hand before he landed on the floor.

"Everyone alright?" He asked, lifting his head from Henry's shoulder.

The other heroes sounded off, cautiously sitting up as the ambulance sped on as if nothing had happened.

"What was that?" Charlie asked.

"Mike, or whatever his name is, fired a crossbow bolt." Noah said.

"Yeah," Jesse added, "I think it nicked me, actually." He lifted his hand, feeling blood trickling down to his wrist.

"Oh FUCK!" Andrew shouted, starting at Jesse's hand.

"What?" Jesse asked, turning to look at his hand. "OH FUCK!"

It was bleeding much more than he had expected a scratch to bleed. The stump over the knuckle that had once been connected to his index finger was pumping out blood at a pace that matched Jesse's racing heart. Hanging by a slight thread of flesh was Jesse's middle finger, dangling oddly to the point that it was resting against the back of his hand.

At the sight, the pain started to match the injury, and Jesse began to scream. His hand clenched, but the stumps of his index and middle finger only bent slightly inward. He felt Henry grab his arm, but it felt far off, as if it was a second body of his, kept miles away.

"Hold him still!" Mark shouted. "Charlie, get your knife!"

"NO!" Jesse screamed, writhing in Henry's grip. "I CAN HEAL THEM!"

"Sorry." Charlie said, drawing a blade from his belt, "Unless your half-god half-lizard, there's no way you can grow fingers back."

"Wait, wait, wait." Henry was saying as he held onto Jesse. "Can we think about this?"

There were several sounds of metal punching through metal above them, and Jesse saw the other heroes turn towards the noise through his blurred vision.

"OH SHIT" Charlie shouted. "Guys we need to get the hell out of this thing!"

"NO!" Jesse screamed "My fingers have been cut off! We are staying right here until we superglue them back on or something!"

"Jesse!" Charlie shouted back, "We'll do what we can for your hand, but this car is officially on fire!"

"What?" Henry exclaimed.

"He's right!" Noah shouted, "Those crossbow bolts were lit with Greek fire. We need to get the fuck out."

"I have an idea!" Andrew said, and climbed over the driver's seat.

Jesse continued to writhe in Henry's grip, but the son of Poseidon wrapped his other arm around his chest and spoke calmly into his ear.

"Jesse," He said, his voice even. "We can't afford to have you bleeding to death while we run on foot. So we're going to remove what's left of your middle finger-"

"NO!" Jesse shouted, pain combining with pent up fear and frustration. "This is crazy! I shouldn't even be here! I should be at school, and with my mom, and have all my fingers!"

"I know, but you aren't. So we're going to cut off your finger." Henry said, his voice still flat. "And then you're going to have to heal yourself to stop the bleeding."

Somewhere in the back of Jesse's mind, he knew that what Henry was suggesting was the rational thing to do, but he wouldn't allow it.

Jesse drove his head backwards, colliding the back of his skull with Henry's forehead. Henry fell back, and Jesse started to rise to his feet, ready to leap out the window and leave the life of the half-blood behind for good.

Henry's hand planted itself on Jesse's chest and pulled him down to the floor so that he laid flat on his back. Jesse coughed as he landed, the sheer force of Henry's hand made him fear that his ribs would crack.

"Watch it, Henry!" Mark shouted. Jesse looked to his bodyguard and saw that Mark had a hand on the hilt of one of his swords. He also saw an expression that almost looked like fear.

Jesse tilted his head backwards to see Henry's face, and immediately understood why Mark seemed afraid. Blood was flowing from Henry's nose, some dripping onto Jesse's forehead. His eyes, normally only slightly gray, now were the color of storm clouds.

"Charlie!" Henry shouted, his voice deeper and more commanding than normal. "Cut it off."

Without a word, Charlie took hold of Jesse's hand and pressed down against the sliver of flesh holding onto his middle finger, cutting off the digit like it was nothing.

Henry released Jesse as Charlie threw the finger across the room. "Are you alright?" He asked.

Jesse lifted himself to a seated position, the pain still fresh, but the shock ebbing away. "I'll be fine." He lied, "What about you?" He asked, motioning towards his friend's nose.

Henry's dark gray eyes opened widely as he realized that he was bleeding. "Fucking ambrosia…" He muttered, "Oliver once mentioned that too much ambrosia will force you into god-state if it doesn't kill you."

"AY! Guys!" Andrew shouted from the driver's seat. "We're still on fire!"

Jesse turned and saw that Andrew had torn apart the wires connecting the steering wheel and Hermes' GPS, regaining control of the ambulance.

"I'm going to turn this thing around!" Andrew said, having to shout over the sound of the growing flames. "When I do, we're going to have to bail."

"Won't they just run us over?" Noah asked.

"I'll take care of that." Henry said, his voice so deep it was barely recognizable.

"Great." Charlie said, "Mark, you, Henry and I are carrying the bags. Jesse, stop the bleeding of your hand and carry my backpack. It's heavy."

Jesse nodded, and placed his left hand over his right, fighting through the pain in order to find the healing energy in his core. It didn't take long, and Jesse could tell that the taste of ambrosia he had definitely helped. There was an intense heat over his knuckles, and when he removed his left hand Jesse saw that the two stumps where his fingers had been had closed up, and they looked as if there had never been fingers there.

The pain nearly gone, Jesse pulled his jacket back on. "Alright, I'm ready." He lied as he shouldered Charlie's backpack.

"Ok, here we go!" Andrew shouted. He sharply spun the wheel of the ambulance, nearly flinging the other heroes to the left, and turned the car completely around.

"BAIL! BAIL, BAIL!" Andrew shouted.

All at once, the heroes scrambled towards the back of the ambulance, picking up the bags of supplies as they went. Noah reached the doors first, but didn't bother turning the handle to open them.

Taking the door with him, Noah landed on the pavement, cracking it beneath him. "Let's go!" He shouted, holding the door like a shield.

The other half-bloods jumped out after him. Still weak from blood loss, Jesse tripped on his way out, and had to roll on the pavement in order to avoid breaking an ankle.

Andrew pulled him up by the tie, "Get up, get up!" He pressed something into Jesse's left hand. "There's a little left, we need you at 100%."

Jesse looked down and saw that Andrew had given him his flask. He spun the top open with his thumb and brought it to his mouth and swallowed the small mouthful.

"Henry, those cars are getting closer!" Charlie said, pistol in his hand.

"I'm on it." Henry said, stepping out from behind the cover of the ambulance. With a slight grunt of effort, Henry lifted his fist and punched down on the highway pavement. There was a loud groan as the highway shifted slightly beneath them.

Without warning, there was a loud "CRACK!" as part of the highway several yards ahead of them crumbled apart, leaving a gap of destroyed road.

"Alright, they won't be able to drive through that." Henry said, his voice still too deep to be considered normal. "Let's get going."

The others nodded, including Jesse, already feeling warm and energized from the ambrosia. As if to prove it, he felt a premonition flash through his mind, and an instant later, he reached out and caught an arrow out of the air with the remaining fingers on his right hand before it could impale itself into Andrew's shoulder.

"On that note," Charlie said, "RUN!"

The six heroes broke out into a sprint, with Charlie and Jesse leading the way. Unable to help himself looked back to see where their pursuers were.

Henry's actions had worked. Adam and his men had been forced to stop and abandon the cars, but they had easily jumped over the gap in the road themselves and were giving chase on foot.

"KEEP GOING!" He shouted to the others behind him.

The four other heroes sped up to catch up with Charlie and Jesse. As they continued to sprint, Jesse felt a raindrop brush his cheek. More crashed into Jesse, prompting him to look up. Above them, a fresh storm cloud swirling above them, spreading across the entire sky, dimming the world around them.

"My fault, guys." Henry's oddly deep voice called.

Even without looking back, Jesse could feel the monstrous power rushing all around them, Henry being the point of origin. The normal level of power that the son of the storm god usually brought forth was dwarfed by the grey-eyed powerhouse running behind him.

"They're catching up!" Mark shouted.

Jesse turned his head and saw that Mark was right. Adam and his gang of heroes, counting up to around a dozen, were closing the gap between the two groups. A mere fifty yards separated them.

"Henry!" Andrew called as he ran, "Any way you can pump up this storm?"

"No problem." The powered-up Henry said, "How much?"

"Lights and sounds!"

Henry grunted a reply, apparently focusing on increasing the magnitude of the storm above them.

"Jesse," Charlie said, only a step behind him. "You seeing what I see?"

Not knowing what Charlie was talking about, Jesse looked forward and strained his eyes to see. Far off in the distance he could make out the shapes of dozens of cars, seemingly stuck in a gridlock.

"Not good!" He muttered. "So much for the traffic prevention."

"We kind of gave that up when we ditched the charmed GPS." Charlie said.

"I'll call Derek!" Noah shouted from the back of the line, apparently having heard them.

"What'll he do?" Andrew asked.

"I don't know!"

There was a flash of light, followed by a crash of thunder above them, followed by a more intense rain. It only took a few seconds for Jesse and the others to be completely soaked.

"Still my fault!" Henry said, "Sorry!"

"It's fine." Andrew shouted, "Let me know when you have more lightning brewing."

"What are you planning?" Mark asked from the back of the line with Noah.

"You'll have to find out!" Henry said, "Lighting, coming up!"

"Everyone, spread out and slow down!" Andrew shouted.

Jesse and the others did as they were told, spreading across the highway. Standing in the center of the road, Andrew had stopped running completely, apparently focused on the storm cloud above him.

Another flash of lightning lit up the sky, and as it did, Andrew reached up and clenched his fist, seemingly snuffing out the light, leaving his fist glowing and crackling with electricity.

"What the-" Jesse started, his jaw dropping. But it seemed that Andrew was far from done. He spun on his left foot, towards the approaching demigods and whipped his arm around as if he was throwing a baseball. But instead of throwing a ball, the second he opened his hand, and bolt of lightning was released and it flew towards the rouge half-bloods.

"HOLY SHIT!" Charlie shouted. "Since when can you do that?"

"Four seconds ago." Andrew said, visibly spent. "We should keep going."

"It's coming back!" Mark shouted.

It was true. For some reason, Andrew's lightning bolt had turned itself around and was heading back towards them, more specifically, him.

"Jesse, move!" Mark shouted and started running towards him. As the feeling of danger washed over him, Jesse could feel something else happen to him. A pocket of energy appeared in his chest, just beneath his heart. Placing his mangled right hand over the spot, Jesse watched as the lighting flew towards him. When the lightning was almost upon him, and Mark still too far away to help, Jesse let the energy spread through his entire body.

The lightning slowed down to a near crawl, and everything else around Jesse was even slower. Already able to feel the intense heat of the bolt, Jesse sidestepped to the left, out of the bolt's way.

Jesse turned his head to the left and watched as the bolt crept forward and passed through what could only be his own afterimage. Frozen in an expression of surprise, the "second Jesse" was impaled by the lightning bolt, and slowly evaporated.

"Holy shit," Jesse said, feeling the warmth in his chest ebbing away.

"HOLY SHIT!" Mark shouted, uncharacteristically surprised. "You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Jesse said.

"But, we saw-" Andrew started from a few yards behind Mark. "I saw you-"

"Look at his eyes. It's his god-state." Henry said flatly. "Oliver was fast. Jesse's fast too. Should we really be surprised?"

Jesse's eyes widened, surprised that he had reached deep enough into his god state to have his eyes change, and wondered how they were different.

"No, but we SHOULD be surprised that Andrew's lightning bolt came back at us!" Charlie said.

"Uh, guys." Jesse said, "We're losing our lead."

The other heroes looked back towards the direction they came from and saw that Adam and his crew of demigods were making quick work of catching up with them.

"Keep moving!" Andrew shouted.

Thunder still brewing above them, the rain-drenched heroes started up their sprint again.

"Jesse!" Charlie shouted from the middle of their line, "Try to sense where their arrows are headed so you can warn us!"

"Yeah," Jesse called back, feeling confidant that his god-state abilities would allow it. "Just keep your ears open and do as I say."

"I just texted Derek!" Noah shouted from the very back of the line. "He said that he'll take care of any traffic we may run into."

"What does that mean?" Andrew asked.

"No idea!"

"Noah!" Jesse shouted, "Shield up!"

As if it was as light as a feather, Noah hoisted the ambulance door he was carrying behind his back, blocking an arrow from it's path to the back of his head.

"Thanks!" The son of Hephaestus called to Jesse.

They continued to run, Jesse almost constantly calling back to the others to keep them from being shot by the arrows that Jesse assumed were fired by his nephew. As they ran, Jesse could see the gridlock of traffic fast approaching, about half a mile away.

"Andrew! Left arm!"

There was a slight pause, and then the sound of an arrow thudding into the pavement behind him.

"Thanks!" The son of Zeus said.

"He's got to be running out of arrows!" Noah shouted, clearly running out of breath.

"He'd better be," Jesse called back, "I don't know how long I can keep this god-state thing going."

Yet another flash premonition crossed Jesse's mind, but it was too vague for him to decipher what was going to happen or where. A second later, there was a shout behind him.

"SHIT!" Charlie coughed, and stumbled forward, tripping Jesse.

Falling to his knees, Jesse skidded to a halt, Charlie still leaning on his back.

"What happened?" Jesse asked, turning around. Charlie didn't need to answer. Jesse saw the arrow sticking out of Charlie's calf, thankfully not having pierced through the limb completely.

Behind them, the other heroes had stopped their sprint.

"Noah! Make a wall of fire between us and them!" Andrew said, "Henry, we'll need a solid wall behind it in case they keep firing."

"On it," Henry and Noah said together. Noah waved his right arm in front of him, sparking a wall of fire fifty feet behind them. From where they stood, Henry struck the ground with his fist, causing the concrete behind them to shift and rise to form a makeshift barrier.

"Charlie, I am so sorry," Jesse said, crawling around to get to the arrow in Charlie's leg. "I'll pull it out and patch you up."

"It's fine!" Charlie grimaced, "Just get it out!"

"On three." Jesse said, gripping the arrow as close to Charlie's leg as he could with his uninjured hand. "One…Two…"

"THREE!" Both Jesse and Charlie said at the same time. Jesse pulled back on the arrow, causing Charlie to groan in pain.

Tossing the arrow aside, Jesse pulled Charlie's leg towards him. A large bloodstain was already spreading across the khaki pants. He made quick work of summoning healing energy and sending it to his mangled right hand.

Jesse placed the two remaining fingers on the puncture wound and sent the warmth through his ring and pinky fingers and into the hole in Charlie's leg.

His stomach dropped as he remembered what he had done to Henry, and did his best to feel for the tissues of Charlie's leg to strengthen, rather than dangerous germs, but he couldn't be 100% sure. After a moment, the hole began to close itself.

"You alright?" Jesse asked.

"I've had worse." Charlie answered, letting Jesse pull him to his feet. "How are we doing?"

"They haven't gotten past the fire yet." Henry said, his voice slowly returning to his regular tone.

"But if I know Adam, he'll find a way to get through." Noah said, "We should get moving again."

"Speaking of…" Mark said, looking over the wall of concrete that Henry had made.

"Oh, gods." Andrew said, "What'd he do?"

The other heroes looked over the wall to witness Adam literally walk through the wall of fire, brushing off a small flame that had sparked on the shoulder of his t-shirt, still bleeding from the grazed bullet that Charlie had sent his way.

"How'd he do that?" Noah asked, "Last time I checked, my fire doesn't burn lukewarm."

"I think he's more powerful than your fire, Noah." Jesse said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Charlie said, leaning heavily on the wall to keep pressure off his leg.

"It's hard to explain." Jesse said, "I can… I guess, sense how powerful he is. And it just seems that he was more powerful than the magic fire that Noah made. Has anything like that happened before?"

"I've heard of it." Mark said. "Still plenty surprising, though."

"Henry, get me some more lightning." Andrew said under his breath.

"WHICH ONE OF YOU WAS IT?" Adam shouted, his voice piercing through the sounds of the storm above them. "TELL ME WHICH ONE OF YOU IT WAS, AND I'LL LET THE REST OF YOU GO."

"Oh, shit." Noah muttered under his breath.

"What's he talking about?" Jesse asked while being practically pelted by the waves of power coming from the rouge son of Demeter.

"Come on, Henry." Andrew said, barely moving his lips, "I need some lightning."

"TELL ME, YOU BASTARDS!"

Thunder cracked above them just as a flash of lightning lit up the sky. Andrew reached up and caught the bolt, his fist crackling with electricity again.

"Again?" Adam seemed to laugh as he spoke.

"Yup." Andrew said, and whipped his arm down, releasing the bolt of lightning at the enraged demigod.

Just as quickly as Andrew's throw, Adam lifted his left arm and lightly touched the watch he wore. Instantly, the watched grew and shifted into a shimmering bronze shield. Lifting the shield just in time, Adam intercepted the lightning bolt and somehow reflected it back at Andrew.

Andrew was barely able to duck in time. The lightning flew above the group of heroes, leaving Andrew and Mark's hair sizzling.

"Well," Charlie said as he pulled himself back to his feet, "Now we know what happened to the first lightning bolt."

"Yeah, thank God for that." Mark said sarcastically.

"Want to try that again?" Adam asked, anger still clear in his voice. "Or will you just tell me who killed him?"

Jesse's stomach flipped. "He's talking about Jack." He realized. Jesse's wounded hand began to shake. The same hand that had pulled the trigger to kill the turned son of Athena. For the first time, Jesse wondered if his injury was karma, a punishment for the murder.

"Don't say a god-dammed word." Mark said under his breath before standing up straight. "How about you come over here and ask us?" He shouted back at Adam, a hand on one of his swords.

Adam laughed for a moment, running a hand through his raven colored hair. "Nice to officially meet you, Marcus." He said, "I've heard a lot about you, not much of it good."

"Bite me." Mark said, "And you can tell Mike to do the same."

"No, Marcus." Adam said, ignoring Mark's comment. "I won't go over there. It's clear that none of you will admit your guilt. And my companions can't walk through fire. But it's also obvious that, even in my current state, I can't kill six high powered demigod by myself. Speaking of: Where's Derek? I still need a rematch."

"Make your point, Adam!" Henry shouted, his voice finally back to normal, but his eyes still completely grey.

"I won't come over." Adam said, "But I will send someone."

With his left hand, Adam ripped off the right sleeve of his t-shirt, revealing a large tattoo on his shoulder.

"Is that-?" Charlie started.

"No fucking way." Andrew said.

"What?" Jesse asked, peering at Adam's arm. The tattoo seemed to have a picture of a creature that Jesse didn't recognize, with several Greek words over it.

"Mark…of…the…Beast?" Jesse translated under his breath.

Adam placed his hand on the tattoo and began to chant in Greek.

"MARK OF THE BEAST!" Henry exclaimed, boarder line panic clear in his voice.

"EVERYONE BACK UP!" Andrew shouted. The heroes jumped away from the wall, all but Jesse drawing their weapons.

"Will someone tell me what's happening?" Jesse asked, fumbling to draw his pistol with his crippled right hand before placing it into his left.

The others didn't need to answer. The ground in front of Adam cracked and opened up, creating a chasm. Fire burst from the ground, rivaling Noah's in size. A great roar echoed from deep in the chasm.

A great hulk of a creature leapt from the Hellmouth, crashing onto the concrete with a loud crunch. The storm clouds above them didn't let enough sunlight through to allow Jesse to see what exactly had been summoned.

"Is that-" Andrew started.

"Stay cool, Andrew." Henry said.

A flash of lightning lit up the sky, letting Jesse see the giant boar in detail.

"The Erymanthian Boar." Mark muttered, quietly so that Jesse could only barely hear him over the rain.

Behind the monstrous hog, Adam had turned his attention away from Jesse and the others, apparently just staring at the wall of fire Noah had created, leaving the Erymathian Boar without orders, only to dart it's beady eyes from left to right, looking for the fight it was summoned for.

"Didn't one of you guys mentioned that this thing was dead?" Jesse asked, his left index finger staying close to this pistol's trigger.

"Yeah," Andrew said. "Jack killed it. I saw it happen."

"Stay cool, Andrew." Henry said again, keeping a hand on his friend's shoulder. Unlike Andrew, he kept his voice hushed to avoid catching the boar's attention.

"So what's the plan?" Noah asked, "Flight or fight?"

The earth rocked beneath them as an wave of sound crashed into them from behind. Jesse whipped around the second the sound started and saw a ball of fire rise in the distance. The boar's head turned towards the explosion, directly behind the group of heroes.

"Oh, shit." Jesse said.

The Erymathian Boar let out a loud snort and lunged forward, beginning its charge.

"Noah, with me!" Charlie shouted as he leapt over the stone wall, "Everyone else back up!"

Without a second of pause, the son of Hermes ran out a few yards before planting himself in the path of the boar's charge, with Noah following him, but off to the right.

When the boar was nearly upon him, Charlie pushed his arms out, grasping the monster by the snout. The strength of the boar pushed Charlie back six feet before the two reached a standstill.

His eyes screwed shut in concentration, Charlie let out a pained shout as he pushed back against the boar, forcing it to scramble its legs trying to get an upper hand. Not giving the monster an inch, Charlie forced himself to take another step forward before flinging the boar to the right.

The monster stumbled past the divine candidate, right towards Noah. Having already activated one of his war-hammers, Noah swung his favorite weapon like a baseball bat smashing the boar in the cheek.

The Erymathian Boar was knocked off its feet and landed with a thud in front of Adam, who didn't move despite the danger.

"Time to go!" Charlie shouted as he spun around.

"What was that explosion?" Jesse called as he and the other heroes started sprinting away.

"I'm guessing it was Derek!" Noah called back. "I think he used the C4 I gave him to try to scare off the other cars."

"WHAT?" Henry exclaimed, "You gave C4 to the only one of us who went to Juvie for blowing up a building when he was twelve?"

"Well, it looks like it worked!" Andrew shouted, "I can already see everyone getting out of their cars and running this way. Looks like we'll be swimming upstream."

"Am I the only one who's freaked out about the C4?" Henry asked.

"And the Juvie thing," Jesse added, "Didn't know about that."

"Guys! Boar's back up!" Charlie called.

"I've got this." Mark said, skidding to a halt.

The others stopped as well, and turned to watch Mark draw both of his curved swords. The boar had gotten back to its comically small feet and was beginning its charge towards them.

The son of Hades held the scimitars together, with the hilts overlapping and the blades pointing in opposite directions, and chanted some words in Greek that Jesse couldn't hear over the rain.

Marks swords turned dark, darker than any shade of black that Jesse had ever fathomed. The swords seemed to fuse together at the hilts, and extended until the grip was more like Andrew's staff, and the blades became more curved.

By the time the boar was almost upon them, Marks swords had transformed into a double-bladed scythe over six feet long. Twisting to the left, Mark spun the giant weapon in his hand, the blades whirling around him. The boar refused to slow down, and continued its charge. Mark swung the scythe horizontally, tearing the boar in half and turning it into dark sand.

"I guess we SHOULD fear the reaper." Charlie said, laughing. "Oh, come on!" He continued when no one else laughed, "That one was funny!"

"Guys," Noah said, "The fire's out."

It was true. While they were distracted by the boar, Adam had found a way to put out Noah's wall of fire and was sprinting with his men to close the gap between the two groups of half-bloods.

"I am so god damn tired of running!" Henry shouted. His eyes were no longer completely grey, and Jesse could no longer feel the insane gusts of power from his friend.

"We all are," Andrew said, "But we need to keep moving."

Henry let out a frustrated groan, but was the first in the group to start running and led the group through the road.

Jesse kept two steps behind Henry, not wanting to run his fastest, knowing that he would be at the Lincoln Tunnel much faster than the others and would be practically abandoning them if he sprinted.

Coming up ahead alarmingly fast was a crowd of people apparently fleeing from the explosion.

"See that?" He asked Henry.

"Yup." Henry said, "CROWD OF PURE-BLOODS COMING! WEAPONS DOWN!"

Jesse could hear the others putting their weapons away as he struggled to holster his pistol with his left hand. "What do we do if they catch up?" He asked of the clatter of Noah's dropped shield.

"Schoolyard rules." Andrew answered. "Fists and kicks, unless something more serious is absolutely necessary."

Jesse glanced back and saw that Adam and his soldiers were making quick work of the distance between them but had also put away their weapons. His eyes met briefly with Adam's. The son of Demeter's eyes widened, as if with realization, and picked up the pace.

Jesse turned his head back, a sinking feeling in his stomach telling him that Adam had realized who had killed Jack.

"Everybody spread out when we hit the crowd!" Andrew ordered when the mass of fleeing people were almost upon them.

Trying to slow down as little as possible, Jesse and Henry darted through the crowd sidestepping those who didn't try to avoid them. To their left, Andrew and Charlie were easily getting through the mob, while Noah and Mark, who were much stockier than the others in the group, had to push and shove their way through.

Jesse could see Mark's mouth moving as he waved, instructing Jesse to keep going, but could not hear what he was saying over the noise of the screaming people. Over Mark's shoulder, Jesse saw that Adam's group was doing a much faster, more aggressive, manner of getting through the crowd.

Not looking forward, Jesse was caught off guard when a particularly large man ran into him, knocking the son of Apollo onto the pavement. Landing awkwardly on the limitless backpack he wore, Jesse tried to roll over and push himself up again, but was nearly trampled by a family of twelve.

Face-down, Jesse felt someone grab his backpack and pull him to his feet.

"Keep moving!" Henry shouted. "We're almost there!"

A blur rushed past Jesse and collided with Henry, knocking the hero on his back. Jesse saw the attacker's dark hair and bloody polo shirt and immediately recognized his nephew.

Grabbing Mike's collar with his left hand, Jesse pulled the quarter-blood off of Henry and threw him over his knee. The smaller demigod fell to the ground, but quickly rolled back to his feet.

Jesse saw Mike reach for a knife at his belt and lashed out with his foot, kicking the demigod in the face, feeling Mike's nose break for the second time that day.

"Keep moving!" Jesse shouted, pulling Henry's hand with his own mangled one. The duo started running again, only a few yards behind the other four heroes. After pushing through a group of Jets fans, Jesse and Henry found themselves completely free of the crowd of humans.

"Just another half-mile!" Charlie shouted, leading the pack despite his limp.

"WAS IT YOU, CANTOR?" Adam's voice rang from behind them.

"Fuck running!" Noah shouted, clearly out of breath. "Derek took out a dozen of these guys by himself. We can take them!"

"No, we can't risk it!" Andrew shouted, "Henry's god state already wore off, I can't handle another lightning bolt and Charlie's leg was shot!"

"Andrew's right!" Jesse called, "It's not just Adam or Mike, the others seem more powerful than they should be too!" As they ran, Jesse was constantly buffeted by waves of power coming from each of the pursuing demigods. But like Mike and Don's, it felt unnatural and overwhelming.

To his right, Noah only let out a frustrated groan and continued to run, his leg brace creaking loudly. Jesse felt a lump in his throat, he had completely forgotten how difficult it must be for Noah to run such a distance.

"It's alright, man!" He called, "We're almost there!"

But it was no use. Noah's already damaged leg brace crumpled under his weight. The son of Hephaestus fell to his knees, clutching his right thigh. Howling in pain, Noah flopped to the side, unable to get back up.

"NOAH!" Charlie shouted, apparently seeing what happened from the corner of his eye. Next to him, Andrew skidded to a halt and started running towards the fallen demigod.

But Andrew was too far away. One of the rouge demigods was almost upon Noah's prone figure, a large axe above his head, ready to swing down.

Not thinking, Jesse pulled his jacket open with his left hand and pulled his gun from it's holster, completely forgetting that his hand was missing two fingers. The gun flew wildly out of his grip, too far for him to catch with his left hand.

"Shit!" Jesse shouted, reaching futilely for the gun. A hand that was not his own snatched it out of the air as Jesse's fingers failed to brush it.

Andrew raised the gun to eye level and fired without a moment's hesitation. The bullet crashed through the attacking demigod's left ear and flew out of the right one with shards of skull and brain matter following it.

"GUYS!" Jesse shouted, running towards Noah, "HELP!" He and Andrew split up, Jesse running towards Noah as Andrew ran to intercept another rouge demigod.

Jesse slid to a halt in front of Noah, throwing the dead demigod off of his friend. Behind him, Jesse could hear the sound of Andrew's fist crashing into the cheekbone of a pursuing half-blood.

"Are you alright? Can you walk?" Jesse asked, hoisting Noah to his feet. The son of Hephaestus' leg crumpled as he tried to stand up straight.

"Can't." Noah said simply and clearly in pain.

Jesse's mouth felt dry. He had never seen Noah without the use of his cane or leg brace, and seeing his friend in such a weakened state shocked him. Unsure of what to do, Jesse looked back and saw four demigods rushing Andrew.

Before he could try to help the son of Zeus, Jesse was nearly knocked aside by Mark's shoulder as the demigod rushed to Andrew's aid with sword in hand. Seconds later, Charlie rushed by, slowing only to reach into his backpack that Jesse wore to draw his katana.

"Jesse!" Henry appeared next to the son of Apollo. "We'll hold them off, take Noah to the tunnel. You're the only one fast enough to get there and back."

Jesse looked at Noah, not looking forward to carrying the only member of the group that was taller and much heavier than him. "Fine, you sure you'll be alright?"

"Just hurry back!" Henry said before turning and running towards the fray.

Exhaling through his teeth, Noah leaned hard on Jesse shoulder, "Sorry about this, man." He said in a seething tone.

Jesse shook his head, "Not your fault, man," He took a few breaths, trying to gather his strength. "Alright, here we go."

With a grunt of exertion, Jesse hoisted the large hero over his shoulder, just as Henry had done for him only two hours before. Struggling under Noah's weight, Jesse took a slow step forward.

Willing himself to keep pushing forward, Jesse shifted his shoulder and took another step, and another until he was able to pick up speed.

"I can't believe this is happening." Noah said, humiliation clear in his voice.

"Don't sweat it, man." Jesse said, "This is why we brought eight of us along, instead of flying solo."

Leaving the sound of fighting in their wake, Jesse ran as fast as he could, keeping a firm hold on his friend. He didn't bother speaking with Noah and further, knowing that the son of Hephaestus was embarrassed enough by the situation.

Within minutes, they were fifty yards away from the entrance of the Lincoln Tunnel. As they approached, a young man ran out of the tunnel, waving his arms.

"What the hell happened?" Derek asked, "Where are the others?" The son of Ares helped lower Noah off of Jesse's shoulders.

"My brace broke." Noah said. "Adam and his guys kept up with us, and if we don't hurry, the police will too."

"Well, fuck." Derek exhaled, putting Noah's arm over his shoulders. "Jesse, get back to the others and haul ass."

Jesse nodded, "Will do," He said, and sprinted off

"Wait," Derek called after him. "What happened to your hand?"

Jesse didn't stop. The stumps of his two missing fingers twinged with pain briefly, but he pushed it aside. Now that he was running at full speed, Jesse was able to reach the other heroes within two minutes.

Henry, Charlie, Andrew and Mark had been able to make progress in approaching the tunnel since Jesse had left, but were forced to stop and fight as the other heroes caught up.

Closest to the tunnel was Charlie, who was in a lightning-fast sword fight with two half-bloods, who, like the other rouge demigods, were exuding an unnatural energy. Without stopping his sprint, Jesse drew a knife from his belt with his left hand and ran through the fray.

Ducking under Charlie's arm, Jesse swung his knife upwards, knocking the rouge demigods swords away, letting Charlie slice a matching, non-fatal, cuts across each of their chests.

"Hear those sirens?" Charlie asked, spinning his katana in his hand.

Jesse nodded. Now that the thunder storm had subsided, it was clear that several police cars were within earshot. "We've got to go. Now."

Charlie nodded, and ran towards Andrew, who was dodging the attacks of several demigods.

Jesse spun around, trying to see where he was needed. A brief premonition allowed him to shift left to avoid a javelin, thrown by Adam, only ten yards away.

Snapping his attention towards the son of Demeter, Jesse charged forward, as Adam did the same. With only a few feet to spare, Jesse swung a backhand strike with his left arm, knowing that Adam's injured right shoulder wouldn't allow him to block.

Adam was able to avoid the knife Jesse held, but took the hit and was knocked aside, but lashed out with his leg as he fell, catching Jesse in the gut. Winded, Jesse doubled over, but managed to whip his arm around and stab towards Adam's torso.

The demigod stopped Jesse's attack by grabbing his forearm. Not giving Jesse a moment to stay on the offense, Adam punched Jesse's face twice with his left hand.

Blood filling his mouth, Jesse wrenched his arm out of Adam's grip and jumped backwards to put space between himself and the other half-blood. But, with a speed that Jesse had only ever matched in his god-state, Adam's hand whipped forward and caught Jesse by his tie and yanked him back to meet a crushing blow to the face with his fist.

Jesse was knocked backwards, only to be pulled back again by his tie and punched in the throat. Coughing, Jesse twisted around, his tie slipping from Adam's hand.

Stumbling away, Jesse looked back at the surprisingly fast half-blood he was fighting. "What the hell was that?" He asked himself, shocked that he had found an opponent who, like Mike, was faster than him.

"Krav maga mother fucker." Adam said.

The two demigods stared each other down, Jesse holding his broken nose for the second time that day with the two fingers of his right hand, refusing to drop his knife with his left.

"It was you, wasn't it?" Adam asked. "You killed Jack?"

Jesse felt his hands immediately begin to shake at the memory of shooting the son of Athena in the back of the head.

"I didn't mean to," He finally said. "He…he was going to shoot Derek."

Adam sprung forward, too quickly for Jesse to defend himself, and threw him to the ground. Holding Jesse down with one hand, Adam slowly wrenched Jesse's knife away from him.

"Don't think that this isn't personal." Adam said, and drove the knife down.

A bloody hand grabbed Adam's wrist, stopping the knife short.

"Think about what you're doing, Adam." Mike said, holding his leader's arm. "Killing him goes against mission."

"THEN FUCK THE MISSION!" Adam shouted, refusing to pull his gaze away from Jesse. It was clear that Adam was struggling against Mike's grip, but the quarter-blood didn't give him an inch. "HE KILLED JACK!"

"She won't see that as an excuse!" Mike shouted back. "We all need him alive!"

"No, SHE needs him alive. I need him dead!" Adam shouted, he made another attempt to drive the knife down, but Mike held him back.

His heart pounding, Jesse tried to break from Adam's grip, but the son of Demeter slammed an open palm into his sternum, knocking the breath out of him.

His eyes wide with desperation, Adam kicked Mike between the legs, freeing his hand. As Mike crumpled over behind him, Adam stared down at Jesse with a look of satisfaction and anger.

Without a word, raised his hand to drive the knife down into Jesse's chest.

Two things happened simultaneously. Jesse had a vision flash through his mind, seeing some sort of dart pierce through Adam's temple, and Mike coughed out a warning.

"ADAM! TO THE RIGHT!"

Without hesitation, Adam dropped the knife, letting the blade clip Jesse's right shoulder, and caught the dart in the air, only a few inches away from his face.

The dart seemed to be made of a rock-like substance and was connected to a cable that led back ten yards, where Henry was standing. The cable led up the sleeve of his sweatshirt.

"Yeah, it's a harpoon." Henry said, and yanked back on the cable. Adam couldn't let go of the dart fast enough, and was pulled off of Jesse before he could react. Despite the pain in his chest, Jesse rolled to the side and jumped to his feet.

"We running?" He shouted, picking up his knife.

"We're running!" Andrew confirmed from where he stood on the other side of the highway. "Let's go!"

Bolting across the street, Mark cut the cord of Henry's harpoon with an upwards swing of one of his swords. Not breaking momentum, Mark ran forward and brought the hilt of his sword down on Adam's head, knocking the demigod on his back.

"Get moving, Cantor!" Mark shouted, sheathing his sword as he ran.

Hand on his sore chest, Jesse turned and chased after Mark, easily catching up with the half-blood.

"Is Noah safe?" Henry asked, having caught up with the two demigods.

Jesse nodded, "Yeah, he's golden."

"Alright," Mark said, "Let's get-"

Mark coughed, cutting his suggestion short, and stumbled.

Jesse looked to the left, "Mark?"

The son of Hades reached over and pushed Jesse away from him with a gloved hand. "Run!" He coughed again. "Henry, get him to the tunnel!"

Jesse opened his mouth to speak, but let it drop without a sound when he saw the crossbow bolt sticking out of Mark's abdomen. Turning his head, Jesse saw Mike, now standing, holding his crossbow in his left hand.

"Remember what you said to me before you left me, Marcus?" The quarter-blood shouted, "You said you'd kill me! Well guess what? I'm still breathing!"

"MARK!" He shouted, beginning to turn around to join his bodyguard, but Henry grabbed his collar and dragged Jesse behind him.

"He'll be fine." Henry assured him, not slowing down. The stronger demigod wouldn't loosen his grip on Jesse's shirt, despite Jesse's efforts.

Refusing to turn away, Jesse was able to see Charlie and Andrew charge towards Mike, sword and staff raised. By the time they were close enough to attack, however, Mike had already disappeared.

"Almost there, guys!" Henry shouted, "Let's go!"

Clearly shocked by Mike's speed, Charlie and Andrew started the final sprint towards the Lincoln Tunnel, helping Mark up as they went. The troop of rouge demigods chased after them, but Jesse realized that they were gradually becoming slower, and with their speed, the gusts of power coming from them lessoned as well.

"Who are these guys?" Jesse asked, finally released by Henry's grip.

"That's what we're all wondering." Henry replied, panting for breath as they came closer to the tunnel entrance. "But I'm really not liking the numbers that these guys have on us."

"What the fuck is going on?" Charlie shouted when he caught up to Jesse and Henry, as Andrew helped Mark along a few yards behind him. "Yesterday, we find out that Jack and Adam are against us for no reason, and NOW: Adam is more powerful than he's supposed to be!"

"JESSE CANTOR!" Adam's voice echoed over the highway, "DON'T THINK THAT THIS IS OVER!"

The words rang in Jesse's ears, and he knew that what Adam said was true. Fed up, Jesse stopped before entering the tunnel, prompting the other heroes to stop as well. Derek and Noah, whose brace seemed to be fixed, ran out of the tunnel to meet them.

"ENOUGH, ADAM!" He shouted back. He turned and saw Adam from afar, apparently having stopped, knowing that the race was over. "WHAT DO YOUR PEOPLE WANT FROM ME? WHO ARE YOU WORKING FOR?"

Jesse could sense his comrades' anxiety. It seemed that the same questions were fresh in their minds as well. It was only then that Jesse realized how little he knew about his own quest. Most of what they knew, or thought they knew, about the prophecy was guess work.

The truth was, Jesse thought to himself, the only thing they knew about the quest was that they were meant to go to Hades.

Adam seemed to take a moment before answering. In front of Jesse, a small rainbow formed within the light rain, and Adam's face appeared.

"The fuck?" Jesse backed away.

"It's fine," Mark said, not without grimacing with pain. "Just an Iris-message."

"We work for the future generations of demigods." Adam answered, "We are just trying to give the power to those who deserve it."

A silence struck the group of demigods. Jesse looked to Andrew, who stepped forward.

"Are you talking about a rebellion?" Andrew asked, "As in, the Olympic kind?"

Adam only smiled.

"Who are you to make that kind of call?" Charlie shouted, yelling at Adam's distance figure rather than the image in the rain.

"I'm not making these calls, Charlie." Adam said. "I'm just proudly following orders."

"Guys, it's time to go." Derek said. The other heroes were silent for a moment, allowing them to hear the approaching sirens. "I've opened the entrance already." He motioned towards an open manhole a few yards away.

"He's right, let's get out of here." Andrew said, "Go fuck yourself, Adam."

Behind Andrew, the other heroes turned and walked into the tunnel. All were silent, their faces pale. They reached the manhole and, one by one, started climbing down the ladder, into the Labyrinth.

"Oh, Jesse!" Adam's image called.

The last in line for the ladder, Jesse stopped, and finally turned.

"Have fun in Washington."

Jesse stared Adam's image down, his left fist clenched so tight that his nails broke the skin of his palm.

"See you there, Adam." He finally said, and climbed down the ladder, into the dark.

Author's note: Well, there it is. Hope it was worth your wait. The real reason why it took me so long was due to the constant rewrites. I had some big decisions to make, one of them being the state of Jesse's hand, as well as some serious foreshadowing. Anyway, feel free to review. REVIEW. Not tell me that it's been a while. I know that. Reviews are for telling me what I'm doing well, or doing poorly. Then again, I guess telling me it's been too long would count as a review… Well, try to resist. Thanks guys. The next chapter should be shorter.

53


	20. Chapter 20

Long time, folks. Very long. This chapter has been tough to write, and as you can tell, it's taken a long time. In fact, this is really only half of the chapter I intended to provide for you guys. But since it's been so long, I've decided to give you this part of the chapter, and bang out the rest as quickly as possible. Seriously though, you try being a social, 21 year old college student, AND write an epic tale like this one. But here I am, beer in hand, promising to get my ass in line. As always, I suggest that you guys backtrack a few chapters, so that you can be reminded of names and events. More news at the end of the chapter. Enjoy.

"Are you listening to me?" The young woman across the table asked.

Jesse looked up from his coffee and blinked. He had somehow allowed his mind to drift away from the beautiful girl sitting across from him. He felt a sudden chill crawl over him, and he shook off the sensation of déjà vu. "Sorry, what was that?"

The girl rolled her eyes and pushed her black hair away from her face. "I was asking you how things are going."

"Oh, right." Jesse said, looking around. For a moment, he had forgotten where he was, but as he took in the sight around him it all made sense. He was in the Starbucks by his and his mother's apartment in New York. He was with… someone. Jesse knew her well, but her name eluded him for some reason.

She was his age, if not a year or two older. and was very pretty, as he kept noticing. Her black hair fell down her back in curls that bounced whenever she moved her head, and her shy smile was as poorly hidden as the freckles on her face.

"It's going ok, I guess." Jesse said with a shrug. "I hurt my hand." He lifted his right hand to show her the missing fingers.

"I know," The girl gave him a sympathetic smile and took his hand in hers. "but you've had worse. At least, you will."

"You will." Said the man behind his newspaper nearby.

"You will." The barista said behind the counter.

Mummers of agreement echoed throughout the shop.

"Yeah," Jesse said, squeezing his companions hand between his thumb and ring finger. "I guess I will."

He met her eyes and realized (or remembered?) that the woman had the most beautiful brown eyes that he had seen since-

"Look at his eyes. It's his god-state." A familiar, but oddly deep, voice said.

Jesse spun in his chair, letting go of the girls hand. "Henry?" His eyes darted around the café, but he couldn't find his friend, or the source of the voice.

"You OK babe? Your eyes went black." The girl asked, bringing Jesse's attention back to her.

"Black?" Jesse repeated, bringing his left hand to his eyes. That couldn't be right. His eyes were blue, weren't they? Jesse started to reach for a spoon to check, but was interrupted when the girl leaned across the table and gave him a light kiss, making his lips tingle.

Jesse was surprised at first, but then remembered (or realized?) that this was his girlfriend. The frustration of his futile search in his mind for her name overcame him.

"Why can't I remember your name?" He asked, as the girl sat back down.

"He must stand tall and declare his name," Said the man sweeping the floor a few feet away.

"Or else all that was done will be in vain." Continued a woman exiting the bathroom.

"The strength of his father, he will control," his girlfriend chimed in.

"When the final strike takes its toll." Jesse finished. "That's right, I have the quest."

The girl nodded. "What's the point of that quest anyway?"

Jesse looked at her, feeling shocked. "We're going to Hades. You know that."

"But why?"

Jesse stammered for a moment. "The, uh, the titan Kronos. Right?"

The girl rolled her eyes. "Please tell me you don't actually believe that."

Jesse said nothing and looked at the ground, feeling oddly embarrassed.

"You need to start to think about what this quest is even about…"

"And get my head out of my ass?" Jesse asked with a smile.

The girl smiled, "Yeah, that would help." She picked up her coffee and took a small sip. Jesse did the same.

As he put the foam cup down, he noticed that the name scrawled across it was not his own.

"OLIVER" it read.

Surprising himself, Jesse let out a yelp and threw the cup across the room, where it struck an old man who, like the rest of the people in the café, took no notice.

"I'm not Oliver." Jesse said to the girl.

She put her cup down. "I know,"

Jesse sat back, relieved.

"But some will have trouble telling the difference, once all of this is done." She continued.

Jesse felt his fingernails dig into his palms. "That isn't fair."

The girl shook her head, "No. It won't be fair."

"Oliver was the greatest of us and when he…" She paused , as if the memory was to painful to speak of. "…he needed someone to take his place. Henry shouldn't, Andrew wouldn't and Charlie couldn't."

"What about Noah? Or Derek?" Jesse asked.

The girl only laughed.

Jesse looked down, "But I'm new at this."

"They won't care. And it's not like you act like you're new, anyway." She said.

Jesse stared at the girl for a long moment before speaking again. "What's your name?" He asked.

The girl looked ready to answer, but Jesse heard what sounded like a scoff behind him.

He looked around again and saw the scene around him shift. The lights darkened, the tables disappeared and the walls turned to those of stone.

"You don't know her name?" A new voice asked from next to Jesse. The scene changed again. Jesse found himself in a familiar smelling park, sitting on a bench. Next to him was sandy haired young man wearing Greek battle armor, feeding seeds to a little lion cub at his feet.

"Call me overprotective but, I'm not sure if I approve of this!" He continued.

"Who are you?" Jesse asked, sliding away from the man.

"Oh, sorry." The demigod said. "Let me put something else on." He opened up the glasses case in his hand and slid on the spectacles. His body shifted, and the armor disappeared, leaving a bloody button down shirt and khakis. His right eye was replaced by a grotesque gap in his head that dripped blood onto the ground, which the lion cub gratefully lapped up.

"Jack." Jesse said, frozen to his seat. "You…you're.."

"Dead?" Jack finished the thought for Jesse. "Yeah, you made sure of that."

Jesse looked down at his lap, grinding his teeth together and saw that his right hand was whole again, and was holding a gun.

Jesse pointed at the small lion at Jacks feet with the pistol. "We killed that, too."

Jack shrugged, "But here he is."

"I have his skin on mine."

"You don't."

He looked down and saw that Jack was right, he was not wearing his jacket.

"Oh." Jesse said, and looked at the hero for a long moment. "You're still dead though. This is just a dream, right?"

Jack shrugged again. "You're the son of Apollo. Not many of your dreams are 'just dreams'" He said, making air quotes with his hands.

The gun fell from his grip, and Jesse realized that his right hand had returned to its three digit state.

"Look," Jesse said, "If this is some sort of Ghosts of Christmas past thing, I'm not interested. I don't feel guilty about killing you. I had no choice."

Jack rolled his eye, "Are you really trying to convince yourself that you killed me just to save Derek? That it was just instinct? That you weren't trying to prove yourself?"

Shame burned red hot on Jesse's face. "It was like it wasn't me. I was holding the gun, but someone else pulled the trigger."

"Of course it wasn't you." Jack said, now holding the gun that Jesse had dropped. He pointed the gun towards the ground in front of Jesse, drawing the son of Apollo's attention to his shadow.

"Him?" Jesse asked.

"Them." Jack corrected.

"Us." The shadow agreed.

"But that doesn't mean it wasn't you." Jack concluded.

"That doesn't make sense." Jesse said, "Was it me or him?"

"Can't it be both?" Jack asked

"Fuck you!" Jesse shouted, suddenly so angry that he reached out to grab Jack by the throat, but the demigod dodged and got up from the bench.

"Jesse, I'm a projection of your own subconscious." He said as he put a leash around the lion cubs neck. "I'm only telling you what you've already been thinking. Or, what you will think, at least."

"You aren't making sense!" Jesse shouted, a sudden weight on his shoulders, keeping him from standing.

"Stop arguing with yourself, Jesse." The son of Athena turned to face him again, but his face blurred and reformed. Jesse realized that he was staring at himself.

"I think it's time to wake up." They said together.

And he did.

"Get up, get up, get up!" Derek's voice echoed in the tight corridor of the labyrinth, just as Jesse woke. "Drop your cocks and pick up your socks!"

"You're a poet, Derek." Jesse grumbled as he sat himself up from his makeshift bed. Trying to shake his strange dream out of his head, Jesse pulled himself to his feet. Rubbing his sore neck, the demigod looked at the mess that his group passed off as their third campsite.

Due to the current narrowness of the tunnel, the heroes had been unable to set up camp surrounding a fire as they had the past two nights. Instead, Noah had crafted a bronze bowl-like object to hang from the ceiling with a warm fire inside. The demigods had spread out as much as they could without leaving the glow of the fire, leaving their bags and other possessions strewn out on the stone floor.

In a not-so-neat row were seven sleeping bags, Derek's being the only one empty since the son of Ares had taken the final watch of the night. The other demigods were slowly lifting themselves from their prone positions, encouraged by Derek banging on the brazier with his knife.

"Fucking hell, Derek!" Henry groaned as he and the others pulled themselves out of their sleeping bags.

Jesse was the first one to stand, the lion skin jacket he had used as a blanket falling to the floor. "Gotta pee." He muttered.

"Don't forget to-" Henry started.

"Yeah, I know." Jesse interrupted and bent down to pick up the length of rope on the ground. On their first night in the tunnel, Henry had come up with a system to prevent the group from being separated in the ever changing tunnels of the Labyrinth. Whenever a member of the group went on ahead or lagged behind the others, he was to tie one end of the rope to his wrist, and the other to another member of the group.

"Andrew?" Jesse said, tossing an end of rope to the son of Zeus. He caught the rope but did not respond, barely looking up from sewing a rip on his leather jacket. Andrew's normally perfectly combed brown hair was now tangled and matted with dirt. His arm had been too strained by throwing lightning three days prior, and had to keep it in a sling.

Jesse frowned as he walked off. Andrew had been quiet and a bit moody since they entered the Labyrinth three days before. Jesse had spoken to Henry about Andrew's mood, but Henry had answered as if it was obvious.

"Well, he DID just kill someone." Henry had said.

Jesse decided not to bring up that Henry had also killed a man that same day and had been unaffected, or that he himself had been nowhere near as depressed after he had killed Jack.

Tying the rope around his wrist, Jesse walked away from the group and turned a corner ten yards away for privacy. Yawning as he relieved himself, Jesse's dream rushed back to him. Jack, the talking shadow, the coffee shop, and most importantly, the beautiful girl.

It hadn't been the first strange dream of his since they had entered the tunnel. The first night, he had dreamt of himself fighting through an endless horde of enemies, both monster and demigod, trying to reach a shadowed figure, but to save or kill it, he did not know.

In his second dream he knew that he had not been himself, as he had all ten fingers. Jesse, or the body he was in, had done nothing but sit in silence under a tree with another, much larger man.

Jesse finished, shook himself dry and zipped his pants. Wiping his hand against the wall, Jesse followed his rope back to the group. The six other heroes had already started packing up the campsite. Andrew, being the only one of them with real camping experience had spoken up for one of the few times of the trip to instruct the group on the proper way to set up and break camp.

Jesse picked up his lion skin jacket and draped it over his shoulders. As he picked up his pack, Jesse noticed Mark struggling to bend over to pick up his own.

"You alright?" Jesse asked, already knowing how his self-appointed bodyguard would respond.

"Fine." Mark said, trying to cover the patch of blood that was appearing on his shirt. Despite the crossbow bolt that had pierced his abdomen, Mark had refused to accept Jesse's healing magic once they were in the tunnel, not wanting to risk Jesse seeing his death after making contact with Mark's skin.

Within an hour of entering the maze Mark had collapsed from his wound and had been forced to explain why the others couldn't touch his bare skin before they attempted to mend his injury.

While Andrew had learned Mark's secret even before Jesse did, it seemed as if Henry had known all along, and showed no sign of shock, which both surprised and frustrated Jesse. Despite the fact that Henry was his closest friend in the group, the son of Poseidon seemed to have the most secrets from him.

The other heroes had questioned Mark about his powers, or his "curse" as Mark called it, but the son of Hades had kept his mouth shut as Andrew sewed the flesh of his abdomen back together.

Tired of ruining his shirts with blood, Mark wore only his jeans and a dark tank top while in the tunnel and kept his twin swords at his belt. For the first time since the night at the hotel bar Jesse saw the tattoos on Marks arms and torso. Jesse couldn't get a chance to inspect the tattoos without staring, but he could clearly see the word "contain" written in ancient Greek several times on his body.

Each demigod carrying a bag with filled with essentials, the group set off. Charlie took the lead, somehow able to divine which direction should be taken to reach the Washington DC exit. Navigating through the tunnels had not proved to be a simple task either. While it was clear that Charlie was able to sense the general direction of Hades as Mark had predicted, his sense of direction wasn't precise. Several times the group had been forced to backtrack after Charlie had lost the trail.

There were no torches to be found in the maze, so Jesse would create balls of light to float above them as they walked. The glowing spheres would dim occasionally whenever the tunnel declined, but would glow brighter again when they climbed higher. Jesse had felt a similar feeling within himself whenever this would happen, and eventually concluded that his powers waned when underground. Mark and Henry seemed to agree.

"Just hang back in any fights." Henry had said with a shrug.

It turned out that Jesse would have to take Henry's advice sooner than they thought, as the maze itself was not the only hindrance they came across. On the second day of traveling, the group had walked into a pack of young hellhounds, each about the size of the one Jesse had killed at camp just before his father had claimed him. The exhausted heroes had actually struggled against the monsters, but the only real wound sustained was Mark's crossbow injury opening up again.

"Here, dude. You're looking kind of gnarly." Henry said as he handed Jesse a dented bronze helmet that they had found on the first day in the tunnel. The heroes hadn't used it for its original purpose since it had been far too damaged, and had contained a skull when they found it. Instead, they used the helmet as a makeshift mirror.

"Thanks." Jesse said before checking his reflection. The days in the tunnel had not been kind to him. He had not had time to heal himself before entering the Labyrinth, and it showed. The broken nose that Adam gave him was badly swollen and was turning a deep purple. Both eyes were badly bruised, and the cuts on his lips were caked in dirt. Jesse's skin was pale, giving him a sunken look with his narrow cheekbones.

Ripping off a piece of his shirts cuff, Jesse dabbed at the cuts, trying to clean them as best he could. He tried cleaning a cut over his left eye, but on contact, but it proved too difficult to do while walking, and the gash started oozing a yellow pus.

"Oof," Derek said, seeing Jesse trying to treat his wounds. "Not so easy without the healing magic, eh?"

"Heh," Jesse laughed, "Not so much. Makes me miss the sunshine."

It had become clear that, while Jesse's ability to create light was only slightly diminished in the tunnel, his ability to heal himself and others had completely disappeared once they went underground.

Derek's muscle shirt had been ripped badly by one of the hellhounds, and the son of Ares had elected to only wear his breastplate armor over his torso rather than wear one of the spare shirts they had brought. "With my luck, I'd be all out by the time we got to the surface." He had said. Without a shirt on, Derek's many scars were no longer concealed, and Jesse often had trouble looking away from the shockingly large battle souvenirs. Now that he was paying attention, Jesse noticed that he could see a few scars on Derek's scalp, through the crew cut.

Derek reached into his pack and pulled out some gauze and tape. "Did you practice your breathing during your watch?"

"Yeah," Jesse said as he let the son of Ares cover the cut over his eye. Since the first night in the tunnel, Derek had, as promised, started coaching Jesse on controlling his god state. Jesse had been disappointed, however. Most of Derek's lessons involved breathing and "focusing", which Jesse found very boring.

"Keep up, guys." Charlie called from the front of the line.

The labyrinth seemed to be affecting the son of Hermes as much as it was Jesse. Charlie's hazel eyes were sunken and bloodshot, as if he hadn't slept in days. His hair had quickly grown longer, approaching the base of his neck, and he was still limping slightly due to the injury to his left leg he received on the highway pursuit.

"Right," Jesse said, pulling his bag tighter over his shoulder and tucking the helmet under his arm. He extended his right hand and created a ball of light in his palm. The glowing sphere floated away from Jesse at his mental command, and hovered over Charlie's head.

"Great, now we can see all the creepy shit this tunnel has to offer." Noah grumbled.

"Hey, this was your idea." Andrew said, speaking for the first time in a while despite his mood.

"It's gonna be a long hike." Henry laughed.

Henry was right. The next few hours were far from fun for the heroes. The twists and turns of the Labyrinth were too confusing for the heroes to keep track of. Even Henry struggled to help Charlie recall which way to go the many times they had to find a different route. During the more boring stretches of time, Jesse spent his time staring at the back of his companions heads or skimming through Marks notebook, reading about different types of monsters.

More than once, the tunnels ceiling lowered to the point that the heroes had to crawl until they could stand again. Jesse, Noah and Charlie, the three tallest members of the group constantly scraped their heads.

"Balls!" Noah grunted, his hand jumping to his scalp, having risen a foot too soon. From the front of the line, Jesse looked back, seeing the son of Hephaestus clutching his head, blood trickling past his fingers.

"You alright?" Charlie asked from in front of Jesse.

"It's fine." Noah said, "Just keep playing."

"Ok," Derek said, "Are you Chiron?"

"You're supposed to ask questions about the person before you guess who it is, Derek." Charlie said, tapping the side of his head. "That's why it's called twenty questions."

"Well, how am I supposed to ask questions about them if I don't know who they are?" Derek shot back, making the other heroes, even the still-moody Andrew, laugh.

"How do you not get this?" Henry sighed. "Noah, are you a half-blood?"

"Yes."

"Are you male?"

"For this instance, no."

"Alive?"

"Yup."

"Have any of us spent any time with you?"

"Lots."

"Are you Amanda Woodcolm?"

"Damn." Noah said, striking the ground with his cane in mock frustration.

"See?" Henry said, "And with fifteen questions to spare."

"Sorry we don't all have IQ's over 140, Henry." Derek said with a shrug.

"Noah, why is it that every time we play this game, you always come up with my girlfriend?" Charlie asked with a grin.

"Don't answer that." Mark warned the son of Hephaestus with a rare smile.

The heroes laughed and slowed to a halt, all agreeing that it was time for a snack break. While the heroes took off their packs and leaned against the walls of the tunnel, Jesse spotted Andrew fishing a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket.

"You mind if I have one of those?" He asked. The son of Apollo had only had his second cigarette two days before, the stress of losing two fingers proving to be too much to handle, but he had already stopped coughing at each draw, and the sight of the two stumps on his right hand only occasionally made his stomach flip.

Andrew nodded and handed Jesse the pack, wedging it between the two fingers on his right hand. Jesse offered the carton back to Andrew, but the son of Zeus shook his head.

"You hold on to it, I've got more." He said.

With a shrug, Jesse pocketed the pack and let Andrew light the cigarette between his lips. The first draw was still harsh, but much smoother than the first one he had a few days earlier. Almost immediately, Jesse felt the stress of being in an endless underground maze ebb away.

"That doesn't look too good, Noah." Jesse heard Derek say. Looking left, Jesse saw that the other four heroes were crowded around Noah, apparently inspecting the wound on his head.

"Hey, Jesse." Charlie said, "Any chance your healing magic is back? I think we went uphill a little while ago."

"I'll give it a shot." Jesse said with a shrug. He took a long draw from his cigarette before handing it to Henry, who held it as if it was contaminated. Shouldering his way between Derek and Charlie, Jesse got close enough to Noah to take a closer look at the cut. It was deep and was bleeding badly. By the blood flow Jesse could tell that there was more to the injury under Noah's hair.

"Alright, cross your fingers." Jesse said. He took his right hand and placed its two fingers on his chest, just underneath his heart. Taking a breath, Jesse began searching for the healing energy that had once been familiar. Finding none, Jesse reached further with his mind, but the only thing he found was a sharp headache. Wincing, Jesse stepped back.

"Sorry, man." He said, rubbing his forehead.

Noah shook his head, " 's alright."

"Anyone comfortable with sewing up a head wound?" Henry asked the group.

An idea formed in Jesses mind. "I've got this." He said, "Someone shave his head around the cut."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Noah said, backing up further into the wall. "What are you thinking about?"

"It's ok." Jesse assured him, "I saw this on Lost."

"Well, if that isn't a damn good argument, I don't know what is." Henry said with a shrug.

While Charlie and Henry sat Noah down, a dagger in Charlie's hand, Jesse turned to Andrew, who had come back to the group.

"What's your plan?" Andrew asked.

"You'll see." Jesse said, "You still have my gun?"

After entering the tunnel, Andrew had tried to return the gun to Jesse, apparently too bothered by killing the demigod with it to carry it any longer. Jesse, while tempted, didn't take it, knowing that without his index and middle fingers on his right hand he wouldn't possess the same accuracy he had before.

"Yeah, I've got it here." Andrew said, reaching into his jacket. And pulling out the pistol.

Jesse took the gun, the weapon feeling oddly heavy in his off-hand. After struggling for a moment, Jesse was able to release the magazine but almost let it fall to the ground before he caught it. Handing the gun back to Andrew, Jesse pushed a single round out of the magazine and tossed it to Charlie, who had already messily shaved the injured part of Noah's head.

"Open it up, and cover the cut with the gunpowder." Jesse instructed. "We're gonna light it up and burn it closed."

"Say what?" Charlie asked, stepping away from Noah and towards Jesse. "What are you thinking about, Cantor?"

"I agree with Charlie." Derek said, "Is that even legal?"

"Is using C4 in front of the Lincoln Tunnel?" Henry argued, making Derek shrug sheepishly.

"It's a good idea." Mark said, "It could cauterize the wound."

"This is fucking stupid." Charlie said, shaking his head.

"You have a better idea?" Jesse asked, feeling a surge of anger. This wasn't the first time that Charlie and Jesse had argued since entering the tunnel. On the first day, they had argued over campsites. On the second day, they were nose to nose yelling at each other in an escalated argument that had been sparked by the Chewy bars that Andrew had packed.

"Not this again…" Jesse heard someone mutter, but he didn't care.

"Maybe I would!" Charlie said, raising his voice. "But you and your feeling of self-importance got in the way of my thought process!"

"Self-importance?" Jesse shouted, anger flaring so hot he could feel it in his eyes.

"You're damn straight!" Charlie shouted back. "Even before I told you that you could be a candidate, you've been walking around like your shit doesn't stink!"

"Wait, he could be a candidate?" Derek asked, briefly cutting through the argument. "Are you serious?"

"Oh, right!" Jesse rolled his eyes, ignoring the looks of shock on the other five heroes faces. "And that shit at the hotel? With you prancing around so that everyone could see the Divine candidate in New York? Tell me what that was!"

Charlie stepped forward, tossing the bullet on the ground. "I call it showing the people who rely on me that I care! Maybe if you stopped switching between feeling sorry for yourself and lying to us every other sentence, people would care about you too!"

"Guys, enough." Henry said, trying to step between them, but both Charlie and Jesse brushed him off.

"You think I wanted any of this?" Jesse shouted. "You think I wanted to get shot a dozen times in three days? To lose my fingers? To see my mother die?"

"Get over it." Charlie said, his voice low.

"The fuck did you say?" Jesse asked, ready to grab his knife.

"Don't do this, guys." Andrew said, joining Henry.

"GET OVER IT!" Charlie screamed, spittle flying at Jesse's face. "You think you're the only one with battle wounds? Have you forgotten why Noah has that cane? Do you even know about Henry's arm? Oliver's eye?"

Jesse couldn't help but look at the other heroes, a feeling of guilt washing over him. None of them would look him in the eye, and Jesse saw that Henry was clutching his right forearm. He began to wonder how much of what Charlie was saying about him was true.

But Charlie clearly had more to say and was now standing nose-to-nose with Jesse. "And guess what, Cantor? You're not the only one who has lost someone. You see any of us writing home? Do you think that we're at camp for fun?"

"Charlie, shut up." Henry said, sounding firm but a bit panicked.

"No, he needs to hear this." Charlie shot back. "I'm tired of all his-"

"Seriously, shut up." It was Mark this time, who had oddly stayed away from the confrontation, Jesse wondered if it was because he agreed with Charlie.

Charlie finally quieted down, and Jesse looked around, trying to figure out what the other heroes had noticed that they hadn't. After a moment, Jesse heard a faint shuffling coming from tunnel behind them.

"What do you figure?" He heard Noah whisper, "Half-bloods?"

"No," Henry said, "The footsteps are too heavy, and from what I can tell, there's only one. One whatever-it-is."

Then it's a monster." Andrew said. "So, let's kill it or scare it off."

Deciding to try Andrew's second suggestion, Jesse took a deep breath, as Derek had taught him, hoping that the slight boost in power would be sensed by the creature and frighten it. A burst of energy behind him alerted Jesse that Charlie had come up with the same idea.

The two boastings of power from the heroes seemed to cause a pause in the footsteps of whatever was approaching, but then there was a snarl and the footsteps sped up.

"It's coming closer!" Derek said, "Sounds big, too."

"If it's that big, it should fit in the section we just passed through." Mark said, his voice hinting that he wasn't very confidant.

There was a long pause and, like the other heroes, Jesse held his breath. He heard a snarl and then a loud crash as a shadowed creature broke through the stone wall of the tunnel.

Jesse stared up at the giant hellhound that towered over them, momentarily unable to move or speak. The monster was twice as large as the hellhounds they had fought earlier in the tunnel, and three times the size of the one he had fought at camp. By far the largest monster Jesse had seen since the Cyclops, the hellhound glared down at the heroes, its jowls dripping with blood-red drool.

The monster's neck tensed, and Jesse instinctively reached with his right hand for his belt to grasp his sword hilt. Clutching only air, Jesse mentally kicked himself for making the same mistake twice in three days. Even if his right hand was able to hold a sword, he had left the broken blade behind after his fight with Mike in the armory.

"Out of the way, Jesse!" It was Derek. The son of Ares had apparently already given both of his rings a full turn, expanding them into complete battle armor, complete with shoulder spikes and helmet. Jesse found himself knocked aside by Derek's shoulder and rolled away from the hellhound. By the time Jesse was back on his feet, Derek was holding the hellhound's jaws apart, inches from his face.

"Since when did hellhounds get so big?" Henry shouted as he ran past Jesse, trident in hand.

"There are probably better times to think about that." Andrew replied, approaching the hellhound from the other side. As if they were a single unit, the two heroes leapt into the air and struck each side of the monster's head, Andrew's staff glancing off the hellhound's ear and Henry's trident bouncing off the snout.

As if inspired by Andrew and Henry's failed attack, the hellhound shook its head, flinging Derek aside, and let out a deafening roar. Derek hit the wall, the metallic sound of his armor meeting the rock echoed through the tunnel.

"Fuck this dog!" Charlie shouted, somehow cutting through the noise. The son of Hermes drew his sword from his backpack and charged forward, swinging the blade towards the hellhound's eyes. Jesse drew his knife to join him, but felt a strong hand pull him back from the elbow.

"Hang back," Mark said, "Arrows."

Without another word, Mark pushed past Jesse and ran to catch up with Charlie, curved swords in hand.

Cursing, Jesse jumped back, away from the fray. He watched the other six heroes attack the hellhound, darting around and shouting warnings to each other to keep away from the monsters retaliations. Jesse tapped the miniature bow taped to his wrist and released a small wave of heat. He backed up further as Alexander expanded to half its full size, breaking the tape and falling into Jesse's hand.

Drawing an arrow, Jesse scanned the brawl, trying to find a clear shot at the monster without risking friendly fire. Three days earlier, he would have had complete confidence in his accuracy, but the missing digits on his right hand made him nervous. Shooting an arrow at the hellhound's chest was too dangerous since Noah was attempting to crush its sternum with his war-hammers, and Charlie was continuously slicing shallow cuts in the monster's fur.

Firing at the monsters face was too risky as well. Mark and Derek had somehow managed to climb up the hellhounds body. Derek had seated himself on its neck and was pummeling its head with his heavily armored fists, while Mark stood on its back, plunging his swords into the dark flesh. To make mattes worse, Henry and Andrew were still on each side of the monster, making it swing its head back and forth in an attempt to crush them with its fangs.

Over the noise of battle, several new sounds began echoing through the tunnel, becoming louder with each second. It took Jesse a second to realize that the sound was barking.

"Are you kidding me?" He shouted, knowing what was coming before they appeared. Moments later, half a dozen smaller hellhounds, each the size of the ones they had fought the day before came into view, with more right behind them.

"Why hellhounds again?" Derek shouted between futile punches to the monster's skull.

"Must be the rest of the pack!" Charlie shouted, ducking under the swipe of a claw. "Jesse! Make yourself useful!"

Ignoring Charlie's thinly veiled jab, Jesse put an arrow to his bow and fired at the first hellhound pup he saw. Holding the arrow with his pinky and ring fingers still felt awkward, but the arrow flew straight. Before the monster could finish its jump towards Henry, the arrow thudded into its throat. It fell with a choked whimper, and a second after collapsing, it turned to dark sand.

The smaller hellhounds continued to flood into the tunnel, rushing to assist what Jesse assumed was the leader of the pack. Knowing he didn't have time to calculate which shots were too risky, Jesse took another breath, taking another small step toward god-state, and opened fire. Each arrow was fast and true. Hellhounds fell left and right, and as they did the large monster grew angrier.

With a roar, the giant hellhound shook its head, knocking Derek off its neck and onto the ground and he did not move. Taking out the last small hellhound he could see, Jesse turned his attention back to the pack leader.

"If we lower its head, I could kill it!" He heard Noah shout. Curious, Jesse looked at the son of Hephaestus and saw that he was now holding something that looks suspiciously explosive.

"I'm on it!" Three voices said at once. Jesse fired an arrow, aiming for the hellhounds knee. A few yards ahead of him, Charlie charged forward, swinging his sword back, as if to chop the same leg off. From the corner of his eye, Jesse saw Henry slamming his fist into the ground, making the whole tunnel shake.

A prophetic feeling of dread and panic washed over Jesse, and he knew that everything was about to go to shit. A second later, Jesse felt his bowstring slap painfully against his left forearm, telling him that something about his aim was seriously wrong. The earth tremor peaked just as Charlie took a step, causing him to stumble forward, onto his knees.

Jesse's arrow flew across the right side of Charlie's face, carving through his cheek. The arrow continued its path, unaffected by the slight obstacle of flesh, and dug into the hellhounds paw, barely harming the creature.

"FUCK!" Charlie shouted, clutching his face and rolling to his side, trembling with the earth beneath him.

"Oh shit!" Jesse said, frozen in place.

If the hellhound intended to retaliate in any way, it was stopped by the still-shaking earth, forcing it to its knees.

Not missing a beat, Noah grabbed the monster by one of its large fangs and shoved his right hand down its throat, still holding the explosives. Jesse made brief eye contact with the hero and saw that his eyes were a steel grey. A moment later, there was a low, concussion-like sound, and the hellhound collapsed. As the monster began crumbling apart, Noah withdrew his hand, completely unharmed.

"Charlie!" Derek had to shout to be heard over the still shaking tunnel. Jesse joined the other heroes crowded around the son of Hermes.

Charlie's normally smiling face was now twisted in pain, a long gash spread from his right ear to his chin, blood pumping out at an alarming rate.

Speechless, Jesse tried to find any healing energy within him, but failed once again.

"Are you awake, buddy?" Andrew said, holding Charlie's neck to keep it from moving with the earthquake.

There was a long moment before anything happened. Then, finally, Charlie's hazel eyes fluttered open. Charlie looked at each of the heroes crouching over him until he finally looked at Jesse. Charlie's eyes hardened when their gazes met and, before Jesse could react, Charlie leapt at him.

The Divine candidate crashed into Jesse, sending him sprawling backwards. With the other heroes shouting behind him, Charlie pinned down Jesse's chest with his knees and held him by the collar.

"I knew it was you!" He seethed through his teeth, blood still seeping from the tear across his face. "I was going to leave it be until I had more proof, but now-" Charlie's words were cut short when Jesse swung with his left fist, colliding with his chin.

Taking the hit, Charlie lashed out with his own punch and the two heroes began to grapple, trying to pin the other down. As they fought, Jesse constantly felt like he was having deja-vu, as if the two of them had already fought before. Thinking that it could be prophecy, rather than a memory, he fought even harder, digging a finger into the gash in Charlie's cheek.

Howling in pain, Charlie drove his knee into Jesses side and rolled, back on top. Jesse recovered and drove his forehead into Charlie's, stunning him before trying to bite at the hand closing around his throat. The hand darted away, formed a fist, and plummeted into Jesse's eye, knocking his head back into the ground.

"ENOUGH!" Marks voice resonated through the tunnel, over the sounds of the Labyrinth shaking. "Pull them apart."

"PUT ME DOWN!" Charlie shouted, almost screaming, as Noah's strong arms wrapped around his torso, pulling him off of Jesse. "Don't you get it? DON'T YOU SEE WHAT HE'S UP TO?"

Gingerly holding his jaw, Jesse stood. "Please, Charlie, tell them what I'm up to!" He shouted back, "I'm sure we'd all love to know."

"Careful, man." Henry said, helping keep Jesse up. "You've already had your ass kicked once."

"I could've won!" Jesse shot back, tasting the lie in his mouth.

"Don't you guys see?" Charlie pleaded to the other heroes. "He shows up, what, three weeks ago? It only took him two weeks to become one of the most powerful there, and now he's even stronger! And of course, the second he shows up, monsters start being reborn quicker, a fucking rebellion starts AND a prophecy is given! A prophecy that none of us even heard, by the way!

"He killed Jack before we could get any information out of him, Adam and his guess are trying to take him away from us AND HE JUST SHOT ME THROUGH THE FUCKING FACE!" Charlie broke free of Noah's grip and lunged at Jesse, but stumbled as another earthquake rocked the tunnel, although Jesse couldn't tell if Henry had created it or if it was a happy coincidence.

"That's enough!" Mark shouted, getting between the two heroes. "Neither of you are in any shape to be fighting, much less each other.

"Charlie, what you've said makes sense." Mark continued.

"It does?" Jesse and Henry said together. Jesse looked around and to his surprise Noah, Derek and Andrew were all giving him nervous glances.

"But you've forgotten one thing." Mark said as Charlie pulled himself to his feet. "Oliver himself sent me to protect him. Are you really willing to doubt Oliver?"

Charlie stayed silent, save for his panting breaths that hinted pain and confusion. The tunnel continued to shake.

"I-" Charlie started.

The tunnel stopped shaking, and began to fall apart.

"Look out!" Noah grabbed Charlie by the collar and tossed him to the side and away from a chunk of the ceiling about to fall on them.

With that first domino, the rest of the tunnel began to collapse. The walls shifted inward, cracks appearing like spider webs. More of the ceiling fell as the floor beneath the heroes rumbled and broke.

"Fucking god-state!" Henry swore, jumping over a break in the floor beneath him.

Jesse dove to his left, narrowly missing being crushed by a rock. Looking up, he saw that he had jumped to the same side of the path as Charlie, while the other heroes were several yards away. "Oh, no." He muttered, seeing a flash in his mind of what was about to happen.

A much larger part of the ceiling came loose, crashing into the ground, forming a low wall between the two groups. Both Noah and Derek were almost crushed, and the two were left sprawled on the ground for Henry and Andrew to pull up to their feet. More rocks fell from above them, as if the Earth itself was intent on crushing them.

"NO!" Mark shouted, as if he too had guessed what was coming. He made a break for the other side of the tunnel, but a chasm opened up beneath him, forcing him to jump back, too far to reach Jesse.

Jesse looked to the other heroes. Charlie was now standing next to him, the cut on his cheek now caked in dirt. He seemed to be studying the ceiling, trying to find a safe way back to their friends, but the fearful look on his face said it all. On the other side of the chasm, the other five heroes were shouting at the two of them, encouraging Jesse and Charlie to reach them.

Desperate, Jesse took a step forward, looked up, and saw a chunk of rock just before it crashed into his skull.

Well that's that. Hope you enjoyed it, and if you didn't: feel free to let me know. A quick statement to those of you who find the cigarette use offensive: really? Calm down. Sorry, but Jesse smokes now. I don't, but he does. Anyway, like I said earlier, this is part one of the intended chapter, and I hope to get the rest up soon. Also, some news. I am in the process of making a blog of Mark's notebook. It will include character information and pictures. Reading the blog won't be necessary to get the whole plot, and is only for fun. Finally, please review and all that shit. Wingfoot out.

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